Mixed Relations
by Andorra97
Summary: Modern AU. Journalist Tom shares a flat with best friend Matthew. He's in some kind of relationship, but is he happy? Mary doesn't like her life much either and Sybil broke up with Larry Grey and is looking for a place to live. Mostly Sybil and Tom with a little bit of Mary and Matthew.
1. Chapter 1

_The idea to this story somehow popped into my head very sudden and didn't want to go away. I'm up to chapter 7 now with writing, but I still don't have figured out how to bring order into the "mixed relations". But of course you can be sure S/T will be endgame. No question about that. I just don't know how to get there, yet. _

_There will be Mary and Matthew in it, but probably not enough to tempt a M/M shipper to read it._

_I hope I'll be able to upload very regularly, but it depends on my muse and my freetime. I promise to try my very best though!_

_I thank Scarlet very, very much for her editing. I couldn't do it without her!_

_Comments are always very appreciated!_

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**Mixed Relations**

She threw her head back, pressing it in the soft pillow beneath her. Her breath started coming in gasps and not as quietly as she would have wanted, but she was beyond caring. _Yes!_ That was it. Y_es, yes! right there!_ She felt the tingling sensation, the pressure, the need to get there and she knew she was getting close.

He was hovering over her, pounding in and out of her in a steady and fast rhythm. His eyes focused on her face, still with that half smile at the corners of his mouth that she found sexy.

She didn't have to worry that he couldn't hold out long enough. He always did.

When he sent her flying over the edge, she saw stars.

_Jesus, he is good, really good!_

He came right after her, groaning softly and squeezing his eyes shut. He then relaxed, but was still considerate enough to roll off her, so not to crush her under his weight.

Afterward they lay on their backs for a while, staring at the ceiling.

He was the first to speak. He always was.

"Mhmm," he sighed. "I needed that."

"Me, too," she agreed. "Good thing you were in town when I called."

He chuckled. "Yeah. And it was pure luck. I came just back from Brussels yesterday. I was there for two weeks."

"EU coverage?, " she asked.

"Yes. Pretty boring though. Nothing really new. How's your life right now?"

"The usual," she said. "I'm bored. Angry. Tense."

He turned around, popped on his elbow and and grinned down on her. "Well, let's do something more about getting rid of that tension then. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

**xxxx**

Sybil Crawley carefully opened the door to her sister's apartment and tiptoed down the hall, toward the kitchen, careful to be as silent as possible. She really didn't want to wake Mary in the wee hours of the morning. Mary wasn't a morning person and in the middle of the night Mary would be downright horrible.

It was good she still had the spare key for Mary's apartment after Mary's last holiday. Sybil wouldn't have known where else to go after her horrible night. Going home was out of the question. She would never set foot into that flat again while Larry was there.

Edith would have been an option, but she was living with Michael now and Sybil didn't want to intrude into their bliss. Granny was out of the question, as were her parents. Luckily she suddenly remembered that she still had that key.

So here she was. At 5 o'clock in the morning, sitting in Mary's kitchen. What now?

She decided to have some tea first. That would calm her nerves. And then she would just sit at the table and wait for Mary to wake up.

**xxxx**

Tom was an early riser, especially during the summer. He liked waking up to the first sun and crisp morning air and the sounds of singing birds. Usually he went for a jog every morning, but today he indulged himself and went for a long shower instead. He let the water run for longer than necessary, just because it felt so good. He was in no hurry today. He only had to be at the office around noon since he had finished his article yesterday and sent it to the newsroom, too. He felt good, the stress of the last weeks gone. He hadn't felt so relaxed in weeks.

Coffee was what he needed now. Still towelling his hair, he prodded through the hall and into the kitchen to switch on the coffee maker.

"What... who...?"

Startled he looked up and stared into the shocked face of a young woman he'd never seen before, sitting at the kitchen table and staring wide eyed at his completely naked body.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Sybil jumped out from the chair she was sitting on and flushing bright red.

"No, no! I'm the one who should apologize," Tom said, hastily covering himself with the towel. "I didn't know Mary had a visitor!" He pointed behind him to the door. "I guess I'll better go and get dressed."

Sybil nodded but flushed bright red again, when he suddenly grinned."You better turn around though, I'm afraid the towel's too small..."

_God, how embarrassing!_ Sybil thought when she was alone in the kitchen again. She had had no idea that Mary had a boyfriend. Probably a new thing. They had talked only a week ago and she hadn't mentioned anything.

Well, he was good looking, she gave him that. From what she had seen, and she had seen a lot, he was a very handsome man. No surprise here, Mary always had good taste.

What an awkward beginning. She had dosed off at the kitchen table, waiting for Mary to wake up when she suddenly heard the sound of the door and looking up, she stared right up at a naked man.

Sybil suddenly saw the humour in the situation and started to laugh. Hopefully the guy wasn't too shy. Well, he had no reason to be for what she had seen ... She laughed again and shook her head at her own thoughts.

"I guess, I need a coffee now, after that," she heard a male voice behind her and there he was, perfectly dressed in Jeans and a shirt this time. His hair was still wet and it looked dishevelled. Cute though. He really was cute with blue eyes that seemed to smile at her.

"Yes, that's a good idea," she answered. She then stretched out her hand. "I'm Sybil, by the way, Mary's youngest sister."

"Tom," he said. "Tom Branson. Nice to meet you."

Sybil kept herself busy at the coffee brewer, trying to think of something sensible to say.

"Is Mary still asleep?" she finally asked when she handed him a cup of coffee.

Tom nodded. "I think so. I know she never rises before nine o'clock if she can avoid it. Far too late for me. Looking at his watch he added, "In fact, I should be going after I drank that coffee. I need to go to my flat and change before work."

He grinned at her and Sybil couldn't help but smile back. She couldn't help wondering though how he fit into Mary's usual boyfriend scheme. He was so natural. Mary's boyfriends had always been very classy. Tom was different.

He took a last sip and then brought his cup to the sink.

"Gotta run," he smiled. "Sorry again for the shocking sight in the morning."

"I'll live," Sybil said grinning back. "Shall I tell Mary something?"

"We'll talk, don't worry. But thanks. See you, Sybil."

"See you, Tom."

And he was gone.

**xxxx**

"Sybil?! What on earth are you doing here?"

Sybil looked up at her sister from the newspaper she was reading. "Thank god you're finally awake!"

She folded the newspaper and shrugged her shoulders. "I've been here for a few hours. I didn't want to wake you. Larry and I broke up."

Mary stared at her: "What? Why?"

"Many reasons," Sybil said. "The last nail in the coffin was, that I found out he cheated on me while I was away last month and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the first time."

Mary sat down at the chair across the table. "That bastard," she said. "I can't believe he did that!"

"He did. But actually I'm not heartbroken. I knew something wasn't right for quite some time now. I just didn't go through with breaking up with him. We had a horrible fight and I really don't want to see the jerk again. The problem is though, I have no place to live any more."

"Oh dear, " Mary said. "I don't know if I can help you. I mean you can sleep on the couch of course, but you know I don't have a spare room..."

"Yes I know, of course. And I don't mean to stay here, " Sybil assured her hastily. "I just didn't know where else to go for tonight."

Mary stood up and went to the door. "Of course you will stay here first. And we'll find something for you soon. I'll take a shower now and then you and I we'll make plans."

Sybil nodded. "I'll make us breakfast. BTW, why didn't you tell me you had a new boyfriend?"

Mary turned around sharply. "I don't have a boyfr... oh... oh, you mean Tom. You've met him then?"

Sybil raised a brow. "Yes; I saw him al right. What do you mean you don't have a boyfriend? He ran around here stark naked!"

Mary came back to the table and sat down again. "Yes, I know. But he's not my boyfriend."

"You mean you've just had a one night stand? He seemed to know his way around here, though."

"No, not a one night stand either," Mary sighed. "It's hard to explain, really. Tom and I are... well, actually I have no idea what we are. I'd say maybe 'friends with benefits'?"

"Oh," Sybil said. "I understand."

"Yes, I think that would describe it best," Mary shrugged her shoulders. "Although without the friends part I'm afraid."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hehe, I just knew my fellow S/T shippers would "love" the story premise! _

_._

_Thanks so much to everyone who commented. Your comments are really appreciated! And thanks to everyone who stays with me, even if the thought of Mary and Tom makes you all cringe. _

_._

_I admit, I was cringing myself a bit, but let's keep in mind that we all assume that Tom wasn't a virgin when he met Sybil. Especially in modern stories!_

_._

_So my thought was: What if his former "experiences" weren't just face- and nameless girls from his past, but one of them was Mary? Especially since I really think that Tom and Mary do have some chemistry on screen._

_._

_In this chapter we learn a bit more about their "relationship". But don't worry, Sybil and Tom will meet again soon._

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When Tom entered the flat he shared with his buddy Matthew and their mutual friend Gwen and closed the door behind him he found his friend sitting on their large sofa in the living room, waiting for him.

"Ah, Tom, good that you're back so early. I was afraid I wouldn't see you before I left for work!"

Knowing that his friend wasn't generally a morning personTom looked at his watch surprised. "What is so important at eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Gwen got the job in NYC for six months and is actually starting next week. So we'll need all your newspaper connections to get a new tenant for her room ASAP. She won't be able to afford rent for both places, and frankly I'm a bit broke right now, too, so I don't really want to step in either."

Tom nodded. "Okay, I'll see to it first thing. I'm sure we'll find someone."

He hopped on the sofa in the living room next to Matthew and laid his feet on the table. Grinning he asked "What's not to like here? Two lovely flatmates such as we are."

Matthew chuckled. "But of course. Gwen will miss us, and we will miss her." He looked at his friend who looked like he could nap. "Rough night? You look as if you could use a couple of hours."

Tom mouth formed into a slight smile. "Nah, I'd say it was worth a little lost sleep."

"What is it with this new girl of yours, anyway?" Matthew asked. "You seem to see her pretty regularly for the last couple of months, if I go by the number of nights you don't sleep here, but we still haven't met her."

"Well, " Tom sighed. "It's a bit complicated."

"Meaning what?"

Tom stared in front of him. "She's not really 'my girl'". We're not really in a relationship. Actually we don't get along all that well, aside from ... well you know."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "You don't get along? How is that possible? Then how do you still shag on a regular basis?"

Tom chuckled. "I have no idea how it happened. Fact is, I met her at a boring party. We both drank way too much, and we got into an argument right away. Well, she drives you crazy with her snobbery, and then somehow ... we ended up in her flat." He shrugged his shoulders.

Matthew stared at him. "Okay, I get that. It might explain one time, but not why you've sleeping with her for a few months now."

Tom shook his head and raised his hands in confusion. "That's the odd part. Does it make a difference if I say it was pretty good? Because, we parted the first time thinking that was it, but somehow we met again two weeks later. Don't even know how I ended up there. We greeted each other, talked a bit, fought again... I tell you, she is really so conservative, it drives me mad ... and well, we end up shagging again."

"Let me guess. It was good?" Matthew asked.

"Pretty good." Tom grinned. "From then on, we just called one another up from time to time. The sex is great and the woman is ... really not my type. I mean she's beautiful and I think she is okay. But really not in a girlfriend way. And I'm pretty sure, she thinks I'm the last guy in the world she'd ever would consider having a relationship with."

Matthew stared at him. "So you're telling me, you have great sex on a regular basis without the whole dating, girlfriend, relationship thing?" He sighed dramatically. "I somehow seem to always end up in the whole dating, girlfriend, relationship bit but without the great sex part."

Tom laughed. "If you put it that way, I guess it sounds like an ideal thing."

"Isn't it?"

Tom shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I think we're both just bored. I would end it this minute if there was someone else. Instead, I've just been working my ass off for the last year and haven't met anyone interesting for longer than I can remember."

**xxxx**

"You mean you only ... ? Oh really, Mary. You don't, do you?" Sybil stared at her sister wide-eyed.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Why not? We're both adults."

"But he seems nice!" Sybil said.

"And what has that got to do with anything? He's nice, I guess. If you like that type of guy. He's a lefty and totally idealistic." She grimaced.

"And that's bad?" Sybil shook her head in disbelief.

Mary shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. Look, he's okay, and the sex is great. So what's so wrong with it?"

"I can't believe what you're saying," Sybil said again. "I mean I've heard of people who had that type of thing going on, but I'd never thought you would be into that!"

"I'll take a shower," her sister announced. "And then we'll talk about finding you a place to stay."


	4. Chapter 4

_Of course all your nice reviewers were right about who the new flatmate is. I hate to be so predictable, but can't help it, hehe._

_Thanks again for all the nice comments, I love hearing from you!_

_._

_._

"Tom, our new flatmate moves in today." Matthew announced at breakfast two weeks later. "You think you could be here to say hello? Because I have an appointment at ten o' clock and I have no idea how long it will take.

Tom nodded. "I think so. I'll call Dan to let him know I'm working from home. How is she anyway?"

"Very nice," Matthew answered. "I think you'll like her. Gwen and I deliberately picked the prettiest. Just so you don't complain." He grinned.

Tom laughed. "So you think I'm that shallow! I didn't say anything about a flatmate having to be pretty. We just have to get along. That's all."

Matthew grinned. "Just kidding. She's really nice and friendly. She just happens to be very pretty, too. She told us her parents would get a heart attack about going to move in with two unknown guys, but Gwen and I assured her that we both are well behaved and harmless and obviously we made a good impression. From what we can tell, she has a nice sense of humor, which she will need if she has to share a flat with you. She and Gwen hit it off immediately. I think she was disappointed that Gwen was the one moving out."

"That was only because she hasn't met me yet." Tom said unimpressed.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "It wasn't our fault that you were away for a week and too busy to even spare an hour to meet the possible candidates. Now you'll have to stick with the person we've chosen."

Tom smiled. "Hey, I'm not worried, I trust my two best friends implicitly."

**xxxx**

"Mary, it's really sweet of you to come along and help me, but it would even more helpful, if you'd just go up and open the door for me. As dressed as you are, you won't be able to move my stuff anyway. Here take my handbag and then go up, will you?" Sybil started to giggle suddenly. "I hope someone's there, because I have no idea how to find the key in my chaos here."

"I've never seen more chaotic packing in my life," Mary commented with a glance on the huge pile of bags and things in the backseat of the car. "Why didn't you just hire someone to do this for you?"

Sybil laughed. "Hire someone? I'm not moving a household, just clothes and stuff. I left everything at Larry's appartment. I really didn't want to go down that road to fight for every item with him! I'm glad Gwen is leaving all her furniture for me, otherwise I would have to buy a whole new set."

"Sometimes, Sybil, I wonder if we're related," Mary said, shaking her head. "You have enough money to buy a flat and furnish it and still you prefer living like a student."

"Maybe that's because I am a student?" Sybil grinned.

Mary took the backpack from her and went to enter the building. When she was climbing the stairs to the third floor, she looked around and took in the appearance of the house.

_Student ambience, alright. Exactly what Sybil would want, but really. Why on earth would someone want to live in a house like that when you could have a stylish penthouse instead?_

That was just beyond her understanding.

She rang the bell and didn't have to wait long for someone to open the door.

"Tom?!"

"Mary?" Tom stared at her in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Mary just stood there, for once, at a lost for words. Finally she managed, "Don't tell me you live here!"

Suddenly Sybil appeared behind Mary, almost hidden behind a huge pillow and several bags. "Do you mind moving aside, Mary?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "These are really heavy."

Waking from his stunned stupor Tom hastily stepped forward and took the biggest bag from her.

"Hello," he said. "I presume you're my new flatmate."

Sybil looked up in surprise. "Oh," she said. "It's you! Tom, isn't it?"

He grinned. "Yes, I suppose it's a bit of a surprise, but do come in."

**xxxx**

"There is no way you're moving in here, Sybil." Tom heard Mary argue with her sister an hour later, when he came back to the apartment with Sybil's last bags. "You can't move in here with him!"

"Nonsense, Mary. Why? What does it have to do with me anyway?" Sybil sounded annoyed, then she saw Tom standing in the hall and her face lit up. "Thank you so much for helping me carry all that stuff, Tom. It was more than I thought."

She took her things from him and carried them into her room.

Tom looked at Mary and grinned. "Come on, Mary. Give her some credit for knowing her own mind, will you?"

"Sure. Everything is always fine," Mary snapped. "How could I expect otherwise?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked. "I just think it's ridiculous to make a fuss about your sister moving in here. She didn't know I live here and I had no idea my flatmates picked her."

"I don't want to socialize with you,and I must if Sybil lives here."

"Well, that's honest," Tom raised his eyebrows. "You can't even bear to visit your sister with me in the same flat?"

Mary sighed. "You know what I mean."

"No, actually I don't know!" Tom was getting angry now. "I know we're not a couple, but I sure didn't know you couldn't even stand being in the same room with me if we're not f..."

"Don't say it!" Mary interrupted him, her voice rising. "I hate that word!"

"Well, but that's what we're doing, isn't it? Fucking. There I said it!"

Mary turned to the door. "Oh, I refuse talking to you. You're just awful."

She went through the hall, passed a bewildered looking Sybil who came just out of her room, and slammed the door behind her.

"What just happened?" Sybil asked.

Tom glared at the door. "Nothing. I just hope you're nothing like your sister!"


	5. Chapter 5

When Matthew returned home late the same evening, he found Tom and Sybil sitting beside one another on the sofa watching TV. As always, Tom had his feet on the table and Sybil was slouching on the couch with her feet tucked under her. Both were wearing sweatpants and shirts and were comfortable with one another.

"Oh good, I see you're already getting along," Matthew smiled. "Welcome, Sybil. I hope everything went well?"

"It did, thank you," Sybil answered. "Although it was more work than I thought. I think I owe Tom a dinner or something. He really helped a lot."

Matthew sat down on the sofa, too. "Ah, Tom doesn't mind, do you chap? Spares him a couple of hours at the gym."

Tom just raised an eyebrow and grinned.

After a while Sybil yawned and stood up. "I think I'll call it a night," she said. "I'm tired. Good night, and thanks again, Tom."

The men smiled. "Night, Sybil," Tom said. "T'was no problem."

"So?" Matthew asked his friend after Sybil had disappeared into her room.

"What?"

"So what do you think of her?"

Tom smiled. "She's nice, just as you said, and gorgeous, too, just as you said."

Matthew leaned back satisfied. "I told you. We'll all get along."

Tom then looked at Matthew with an unhappy expression. "What you didn't tell me though, was that she's Mary's sister!"

"Who's Mary?" Matthew asked, confused.

"See? That's the problem. Mary is my ... you know. The woman I told you about."

"No way!" Matthew grinned. "Your fuck-buddy?"

Tom grimaced. "God, it sounds awful when you put it like that, but I guess yeah. Well, truth is, she came with Sybil to help her, saw me, we got in an argument..."

"… and shagged again?" Matthew laughed.

"No!" Tom rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I'm not some crazy guy who needs arguments as a turn on. No, she just got mad that I was living here, started ranting and stormed out of the apartment, and now I'm worried about her and Sybil, but Sybil says she'll calm down eventually."

"I hope she does," Matthew said. "I'd really like to meet her, and if she's fighting with Sybil, she won't come for a visit. She sounds interesting." He grinned. "Do you think you can meet without arguing?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. So far that's all we do."

**xxxx**

Sybil slept well the first night in her new flat, much better than she had on Mary's couch for the last couple of weeks. When she woke up, she felt a little disoriented at first, but quickly remembered where she was. Looking at the clock on her nightstand and seeing it was only half past six, she decided to get up anyway. She just wasn't tired any more.

She took a long shower, taking her time to wash her hair and dry it. Then she put on some sweatpants and a tank top and went into the kitchen to make coffee. She was just down the hall, when the door to the flat opened and Tom stepped in. He was obviously returning from a run, dressed for the part and sweaty. Sybil secretly gave him the once over.

_Nice body, but you knew that already._

"Hi, Sybil!" He greeted her. "I see you're up early, too."

"Not as early as you. You want breakfast? I was just making me some."

He smiled. "I'd like that, thank you. I'll just jump in the shower and be right with you."

He joined her in the kitchen fifteen minutes later and found her rummaging in the cupboards.

"Sorry," she said. "It's not quite ready yet. I guess I needed some time to find everything. Where are the coffee mugs?"

Tom came to stand behind her and reached for the cupboard over her head. "Here you are," he said. "And the plates are there on the right."

Sybil nodded, noticing the little thrill when she could feel his chest against her back. He smelled really good, standing so close to her.

_What am I thinking?_

Mentally kicking herself, she took the mugs and went over to the coffee machine on the other side of the kitchen, putting some distance between herself and Tom.

"Milk and no sugar, right?", she asked handing him a mug, walking over to the kitchen table and sitting down.

Tom smiled. "You remembered from two weeks ago." He sat down across from her.

"Yes." Sipping her coffee, she changed the topic. "So you run often?"

"Every morning when I'm here," Tom answered.

"Maybe you could show me where? I run, too, and I was wondering where the best routes were."

Tom nodded. "Of course, I can. If you want, you can join me tomorrow morning?"

"That would be great, thank you!" Sybil beamed. "I miss it, since I couldn't go while I stayed with Mary. As you know there are no parks nearby."

"I do," he said and for some reason that reply made her blush.

She covered her embarassment by coughing and changed the topic again.

"You're a journalist, aren't you?"

"Yes, I work for 'The Guardian'. And you?"

"I'm in my last clinical year of med school. I started training as a nurse for a year after school and then decided to go to medical school."

He had a very disconcerting way to look her directly in the eyes when he talked to her. "And are you happy with that decision?" he asked.

"Yes, very," she nodded. "I'm looking forward to being a doctor even though it's a long way. And you? Do you like being a journalist?"

He thought for a moment. "Mostly yes. I like writing and I was always interested in politics, but lately I'm getting bored with my assignments. I don't know, maybe it's just that I worked too much this last year. Sometimes I think I need a change."

"You're Irish, aren't you?" Sybil asked. "What made you come to London?"

"Work," Tom answered. "I got the offer from 'The Guardian' and it was so much better than the paper I worked for before, I couldn't possibly refuse, so that's how I ended up here."

"And how did you meet Matthew and Gwen?"

"I met Matthew through my first assignment for the paper," Tom explained. "We needed legal advice about inheritance law and someone directed me to Matthew. He's a well-known expert in this field. So we met for dinner, got along really well and became fast friends. Then we found out we both needed a flat at the same time. He had just parted from a girlfriend and I wanted to live nearer to the paper. Well, you know about the rents here, even with a good job it's insanely expensive, so we decided to share one. When we found this flat we thought it was ideal, but too big for just two and that's how we found Gwen. We were really lucky, because we three got along well. "

"It's wonderful that you are such great friends," Sybil said. "I hope you won't miss her too much and we'll get along well, too."

"I'm sure we will. We already do, don't we?" Tom smiled and Sybil noticed again how his smile reached his eyes.

_He really has such nice eyes, incredible colour, too._ _Ice blue would describe it best... Get a grip, Sybil!_ She scolded herself. _Why do you keep thinking about his looks all the time? _

It must be because of his relationship with Mary. Sybil would have never thought that her sister would even consider a friends with benefits relationship. It was astonishing! But then she couldn't help noticing that Tom was really attractive. He was checking a message on his mobile right now and Sybil had the opportunity to look closely at him.

_Blue eyes, nice body, nice smile. That accent and the way he looks at you..._

He looked up. "That was my office. Gotta run, Sybil. See you later and we can go for a run together tomorrow morning. "

"Absolutely," Sybil said.

Tom smiled again.

Sybil sighed. _Maybe not so astonishing after all._


	6. Chapter 6

_So in this chapter we have Mary and Matthew meeting for the first time. And Tom going for a run with Sybil. _

_Thank you all for commenting. It's such motivation to write if you have people who tell you they're appreaciating your efforts._

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It was three days later when Matthew opened the door to a stunning and perfectly dressed brunette, he was sure he had never seen before, because if he had, he would have remembered.

"Hello," she said in an even and polite voice. "Is Sybil here?"

"No," Matthew answered slightly stunned. "I'm afraid not, but she will be back soon. She just went to the supermarket."

"Oh, I see. Perhaps I could wait for her then? I'm Mary. Her sister." She stretched out a perfectly manicured, delicate hand and he shook it wondering for the first time in his life, if his palms were clammy.

_That is Mary? Holy shit, Tom!_

"Yes... yes, of course," he said, hastily opening the door a little wider. "I'm Matthew. Please, do come in."

She smiled, but hesitated. "Is Tom here?"

"No, he's at work," Matthew smiled apologetically. "But do come in, Tea?"

She seemed to relax. "Yes, thank you." she said, stepping into the flat.

Taking her light summer coat, Matthew gestured at the living room. "Please make yourself comfortable. I'll make the tea."

She went ahead through the hall and to the living room. Matthew couldn't help but thorougly admire the way her black designer pants and the light green blouse she was wearing accentuated her very slim figure. She was wearing heels, but she moved with an ease and grace, almost as if she was born with them

_Gorgeous._

He suddenly realized that he was still standing there, holding the coat and hurried to hang it up before going into the kitchen for the promised tea.

When he returned a few minutes later, he was composed enough to spend an agreeable twenty minutes talking to her. He discovered she had studied the law as well and they had even been at the same university for some time. Matthew had gone through a few years earlier though, so their paths never crossed.

Mary told him that she worked for her father's firm now. "Not really dream work, I suppose." She was quite surprised by her confession to a perfect stranger. "But I studied law just to get into the family business. I thought I might move in another direction after a few years. But you know how these things work."

He nodded. "What would you be doing if there hadn't been a family firm?"

She smiled. "Proably a prosecutor. I know, it's an unpopular choice, but I think it suits me."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "I can actually see you in that."

His reply made her laugh. "should I take that as a compliment? "

"Yes, you should." Matthew chuckled, too. He watched her sip her tea, admiring how delicate her features were. Perfect, shiny dark hair, brown eyes with incredibly long dark lashes that were fanning he cheeks. Great skin, too.

_Gorgeous indeed. Tom is one lucky bastard._

Suddenly they heard the door of the apartment open.

"That's probably Sybil," Matthew said, but when he looked up, it was the "lucky bastard" himself.

"Oh, hi, Tom," Matthew looked at his friend. "Look, who's here."

To his surprise though, neither Tom nor Mary seemed very happy to see on another. Tom was looking weary and Mary was frowning.

After a pretty cool greeting on both sides, Tom turned to Matthew. "I think I might go for a run before dinner."

"But didn't you run this morning already?" his friend asked surprised. "Are you now running twice a day?"

"I think I need it," Tom mumbled. He nodded to Mary, went to his room and appeared in sweats a few minutes later. "See you, Mary," he said and left the flat.

"Well..." Matthew stared at the door, which had closed behind his friend.

_What the hell was that?_

**xxxx**

Tom had always loved the solitude of running alone or so he thought. Since he ran the same route every day, there were many other joggers who've become familiar faces over time, but he was never tempted to run with any of them. He preferred being alone, listening to is iPod and run at his own pace.

After a few days of running with Sybil every morning, he noticed that he was looking forward to it each morning. He was amazed how sunny she was. No matter how early the morning, no matter how the weather was outside, her sleepy smile lit the room each morning when he came out of his room in his running clothes.

Usually they spent the first ten minutes in silence, adjusting their pace to one another and finding it very easy. They were close in height. Sybil was slightly shorter but not much and they were at the same level of fitness, because neither slowed the other.

When they settled into a good pace, they would start talking and how easy that part was surprised Tom, too. No matter the topic they spoke of, they found something to say to one another. There were no awkward silences or touchy subjects. They fell into an easy conversation and he noticed that he thoroughly enjoyed hearing her points of view.

"How can you be a sister of Mary's?" he asked one morning after they agreed on a point. He was absolutely certain that he and Mary would never have found common ground. "She would have tore me a new one over this!"

Sybil laughed. "Well, we're very different when it comes to politics."

He glanced at her. "I'd say you're very different, period."

"Maybe," she sighed. "But I'm not sure that's a compliment."

"It was meant as one," he assured her. "But you're right, I shouldn't have said it. I shouldn't talk to you about Mary. I apologize."

"Apology accepted," she smiled. "Let's race the last two hundred metres." With that she took off. Tom had to run as fast as possible to catch up with her. He won the race by a small margin and they walked the short distance from the park back to their flat, laughing and gasping for air.

Inside, they went to the kitchen for something to drink. Leaning on the counter, Sybil took a bottle of water and almost drank it in one gulp.

Tom watched her drinking, wondering again how different she was from her sister. He couldn't imagine Mary ever looking like that all sweaty in her running clothes, her hair in a wild ponytail with strands of curls falling over her eyes.

She also was more shapely than Mary. Tom couldn't help noticing her breasts filling her tank top very nicely and he watched with fascination as one sweat drop slowly rolled down her neck, over her cleavage down in the valley between...

Abruptly, he put down his own bottle on the counter.

"You don't mind if I use the shower first, do you?" he asked, hastily leaving the kitchen without waiting for Sybil's response.

_And make it a cold one, Tom, _he thought.

Sybil stared at the door. _"What's up with him?"_


	7. Chapter 7

Sybil had been living with them for three weeks before Tom found a text from Mary on his mobile late one afternoon at his office.

_Plans tonight?_

Tom stared at the mobile. He knew exactly what it meant but he didn't know how to respond. He had been pondering the idea of his relationship with Mary for the last three weeks now and still had no idea what he should do about it.

Three weeks ago he probably would have grinned and answered in the affirmative immediately, and he would've looked forward to a hot night. Now he couldn't deny feeling edgy after three weeks, but was that reason enough to go on as they had? Why did she just text him all of the sudden after ignoring him for three weeks? Did he really still want this?

At first it didn't bother him, but when Mary said that she didn't want to "socialize" with him, it had actually hurt more than he expected and he didn't know why. They'd avoided each other since. Mary had been visiting Sybil, he knew that from Matthew, but the one time he happened to met her by accident, they had behaved coolly toward one another and he had practically run out of the flat.

Was he looking for romance? Did he like her more than he thought?

He had tried to figure out his feelings for her, but he came up empty handed. He didn't think that he had feelings for her of any kind. She was beautiful and there was a certain type of tension between them, which he found sexually exciting. A challenge maybe, or some primal instinct to ... what? Fight? Dominate? He didn't like that thought. And the sex hadn't been about domination, thank god. So, no, he didn't think he had some kind of hidden fetish in his sub-conscience that he wasn't aware of. She was attractive. They had fun. It had been enough.

Whatever it was between them, itmost certainly was not romance. He didn't like her very much. Strike that. He didn't even _know_ her enough to like her. But the sad thing was, he wasn't curious about her, not like he was curious to know more about Sybil for example.

_Now where did that thought come from?_

He had said to Matthew, he would end the relationship with Mary the minute he had a reason. Did he have a reason?

He was still staring down on his mobile.

_Be there at 9._

He regretted it as soon as he pressed the "send" button.

**xxxx**

Matthew wasn't a morning person. Unlike his two flatmates, who in his opinion didn't need any natural amount of sleep at all, he really had a hard time dragging himself out his bed every morning at seven, and he was in awe every morning when he came into the kitchen to find Sybil and Tom already freshly showered and talking about an hour-long _run _even though it was, in his eyes, still the middle of the night.

Luckily they were usually talking so animately to one another that they didn't expect anything from him other than a friendly (and sleepy) "good morning", before they went back to saving the world and politics and he could just rest a little more while he slowly sipped his coffee.

But today he found Sybil alone at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Morning," he greeted her. "Where's Tom?"

"I don't know," she answered. "He wasn't there at six, so I ran alone. Maybe he's still asleep?"

Matthew shook his head. "I don't think so. Unless he's ill he never misses running in the morning." A thought struck him. "He's probably at Mary's"

Sybil stared at him. "Oh ..." she said slowly. "Yes ... you're probably right."

She looked down on her plate, suddenly not feeling so hungry.

"I think I have to go to the library before I start my shift at the hospital," she said hastily, bringing her mug and plate to the sink and left.

Matthew nodded.

_Mary didn't seem the type at all. So sophisticated and classy. Who would have thought that she was so... open about it?_

He mentally shook himself.

_No point in dwelling on your best friend's... what? Girlfriend? Fuck buddy? Friend with benefits?._

Whatever they were she wasn't his girlfriend. They just had sex. Which was probably amazing. It must be.

_The thought alone of her ... being with him …_

He couldn't help it. He was jealous.


	8. Chapter 8

_Stupid, stupid, Tom! You, my lovely readers, are so right! But well... men. Even the best of them._

_Thank you again for all your nice reviews. I love reading them! And I hope you like this chapter._

_._

Tom awoke disoriented, but then he remembered he was at Mary's flat, and she was sleeping soundly next to him. He popped on his elbow and reached for the clock on her nightstand, careful not to wake her and checked the time. Six o'clock in the morning..

He let himself roll on his back. Usually he would be running with Sybil now, and he's missing it today.

_Damn._

Blankly he stared at the ceiling.

_What are you doing here, Tom?_

When he came here last night, he had been determined to talk to Mary about their relationship, but then he had felt silly when she had been behaving as if nothing ever happened between them. They had drunk a bit of wine, had some meaningless small talk and then they had moved to the bedroom pretty quickly as they always did. The sex had been fast and not really elegant. Not one of their best encounters if he was honest, but he had blamed it on the lengthy abstinence.

But what was worse: Images of her sister flashed in his mind while he fucked her.

_God, you've become quite a jerk!_

He mentally chastised himself. How could he think of Sybil then? He had never thought of another woman during sex, and Sybil of all women! She was Mary's sister for heaven's sake and his friend, but even now he felt himself harden, when he thought about the things he had imagined.

He took a deep breath and tore his mind away from the tantalizing image of Sybil in her running outfit, her skin glistering with sweat, her tank top clinging to her wet curves …

He suppressed a groan and sat up. _A shower._ He needed a shower very quick.

_Sybil. _

There she was again. Invading his thoughts as he sat on the edge of the bed.

She was so completely different from her sister. Warm, sunny, sensual. The thought of her brought a smile to his lips. The way she goofed around when she was with him and Matthew ... She had been only living for them for a few weeks, but they really felt comfortable around one another,

And she was so beautiful. Not in that objective, cool model way, Mary was, but really, awe-inspiring, jaw-droppingly beautiful. It didn't take long for him to notice that and more than once found himself staring at her. It was getting embarrassing, but he seemed unable to tear his eyes away from her. He was drawn to her like magnets every time she came into the room.

He loved her hair. This dark mass of wavy curls and he wondered how it might feel to put his hands in there and and her eyes, such big blue eyes with dark lashes. He had never thought he preferred one eye colour over another, but he realized now that he liked blue.

Blue eyes like hers.

_Damn._

He was falling for Sybil.

Why oh why didn't he realize it sooner?

He had just slept with her sister practically under her nose! Could he have been a bigger idiot?

**xxxx**

"Tom? What a surprise." Mary raised her eyebrows when she came into the kitchen a few hours later, finding Tom sitting there with a newspaper in his hand. "I didn't expect you to be here still."

Why did that sound annoyed to his ears? What was it in her that made him so defensive all the time? He took a deep breath and decided to ignore it. Instead he folded the newspaper and looked at her.

"We have to talk."

"Talk? Well that's a first."

However, she nodded and sat down across the table. "What is it?"

"We should end this, Mary," Tom said.

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because it doesn't feel right any more," Tom sighed. "It's too complicated for me now with your sister living in the same flat and you coming by for visits and stuff."

It wasn't the total truth, he decided, but it was close enough.

Mary shrugged her shoulders. "I told you it wouldn't work when she moved in. You were the one who didn't believe it."

He raised his hands in defeat. "You were right. I admit it."

Mary smiled at that. "As my grandmother would say, 'I'm always right.'"

He watched her closely. "So?"

"So what?" She grimaced. "You don't expect me to burst into tears now, do you?"

He chuckled. "No, but do you think we can be friendly when you come by to visit Sybil?"

"Of course we can," she said. "If you can spare me your political theories."

"I'll do my best," he promised. "Maybe we should make a list of 'topics to avoid'."

"Or you can debate them with Sybil instead. You are both so much alike."

Tom stared at her speechless.


	9. Chapter 9

If Sybil was angry with him for standing her up the day before, she didn't show it when they resumed their running routine the following day. She smiled when she greeted him, talked to him as always and laughed at every silly, little joke he made.

They continued to run every morning for the next month and on the outside everything seemed fine between them, only that for him it wasn't. Something had changed and for once in his life he didn't know what to do about it.

He tried to make a point by telling Matthew that he broke up with Mary, but somehow couldn't bring it up with Sybil. Telling her that he broke up with her sister? That seemed tactless somehow and he wasn't sure how she would take it. He hoped Mary would bring it up or maybe Matthew would tell Sybil. She didn't say anything to him though or gave any sign she knew.

He found himself in a quandry. The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her. Their morning run had quickly become his favourite part of the day. He wouldn't have missed it for the world and savoured every minute they were together.

He tried to sense how she felt, watching desperately for any sign that she liked him as more than just a friend? But he couldn't detect one. She was friendly with him, but she was the same with Matthew.

One evening while they were watching a horror movie, she suddenly turned to him and buried her face in his shoulder. He felt goosebumps rise all over his body and instinctively he enfolded her in his arms. He reveled in their proximity breathing in her scent and feeling her hair on his cheek. For a minute he was in heaven. But all too soon she loosened her grip around him, when the frightening part was over and she leaned back against the sofa once more, laughing about her own fright as if nothing had happened.

Another evening he came home and found Matthew and her sitting very closely together on the sofa, reading one of his articles in the newspaper. She was leaning to him, reading over his shoulder while he held the newspaper in both hands. They both greeted him with a smile and congratulated him on his article, while he tried to suppress the sudden feeling of jealousy seeing them so close together. They were friends, he told himself, just as he and Matthew had been with Gwen.

But he didn't want her as just a friend. He was falling head over heels in love and he knew it. He was beating himself up for ever sleeping with Mary and especially for the last time was four weeks ago! How could he tell Sybil how he felt now? He didn't dare to make a move for fear of losing her completely.

How could he have been so stupid?

**xxxx**

"Why don't you ask Tom to accompany you to Mama's fund-raiser dinner next month?" Mary asked. She and Sybil had met for tea in a café near the uni, and their mother's yearly fund-raiser dinner came up. As with every year, Sybil was trying to find a way to back out, but Mary wouldn't let her.

Sybil looked at her sister, surprised at her question.

"Tom? Why should I ask him. If anyone, you should ask him!"

Mary grimaced. "I could never go with Tom anywhere. You ought to know that by now. We'd be at each other's throats as soon as we walked in the door!"

Sybil shook her head. "I don't get it with you two," she said. "I really don't."

"Well you don't have to sort us out now, we broke it off," Mary shrugged her shoulders. "So he's officially out of my life."

"What? When?"

Mary stirred her tea. "About four weeks ago."

Sybil furrowed her brow. "That must have been when he wasn't there for our jog?"

"He said he felt 'uncomfortable' now that you were living in the same flat." Mary smiled at her sister's suddenly distraught face. "Don't worry, darling. I'm not heartbroken."

"Aren't you?" Sybil asked concerned. She watched her sister closely. "I feel terrible, if I'm to blame ..."

"Sybil, our relationship was just a passing fancy, for both of us. I don't have any feelings for him, I swear." Mary laid her hands on Sybil's. "You really are too good for this world. Can't you just accept that it wasn't anything more than scratching an itch?"

Sybil nodded. "I don't understand it, but if you say so."

She looked at Mary thoughtfully. "I don't understand why you always talk about him as if you don't like him though. He's very smart and nice and really good-looking. So what's wrong with him?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Nothing is wrong with him. He's just not my type. He's such an idealist, it's getting on my nerves! We don't see eye to eye on anything that matters. Aside from that you're right, he is a nice man. There I said it. You don't think I would have had a relationship with a total jerk, would you? Even that kind of relationship."

"Actually I don't understand how you can have that kind of relationship at all. It seems so ... lacking in affection. Are you really so cynical about love and sex?" Sybil shook her head in confusion. "I could never ... I mean, I always thought sex was the ultimate expression of love. Not just to 'scratch an itch' as you put it."

_And I'm somewhat disappointed that he sees it like you do._

Sybil's eyes widened at that thought. Where did that come from now? But it was true. During the last few weeks, Tom had slowly become very important to her, a true friend, one she looked forward seeing every day. She liked his sense of humour, and admired his ' idealism' as Mary put it. She found his intelligence stimulating and liked that he always seemed to listen intently to everything she said. He was attentive and affectionate and yes, he was unbelieveably attractive.

The thought of him and her sister bothered her. At first, she had thought it was because of Mary, but now she wasn't so sure. Mary had always been a bit cynical and worldly. It wasn't completely out of character for her to have a relationship solely based on sex. But Tom seemed different, and yet he obviously wasn't. It seemed like it was just a game for him.

"So are you asking Tom then?" Mary returned to her initial question.

"I could also ask Matthew," Sybil thought aloud.

Mary shook her head.

"No you can't, because he's already going with me."


	10. Chapter 10

Matthew had wanted to talk to Tom for two days now, but there had been no opportunity to do so and he was starting to feel uncomfortable. However, now that they were finally in the apartment at the same time Matthew didn't want to wait any longer to tell his best friend that Mary had asked him out.

To say that he was surprised when Mary asked him to go to her mother's fund-raiser dinner with her was an understatement. He was sure he had looked dumbfounded at that moment, because he would never have expected it in a million years,but at the same time he was thrilled, that he could not deny. He had met her for a few times now that Sybil was living with them and the more he saw of her the more he was fascinated. He really wanted to know her better.

_If only it hadn't been for her history with Tom ... _

At least it _was _history, since Tom said they broke up a few weeks ago, but still ...

Tom had been so withdrawn the last few weeks, burying himself in his work and barely speaking more than a few words. He ran with Sybil every morning, but aside from that he seemed absent-minded and serious. It was atypical for him and Matthew was worried there was more behind the Mary and Tom story than Tom had shared.

Still there was no other way to find out than asking him directly. So when he found Tom alone, sitting on the sofa, reading on his e-reader, not working for the first time of what seemed like an eternity, Matthew knew he had to tell him now.

"You've got a minute, Tom?" he began.

Tom nodded and turned off his e-book. "Sure, what is it?"

Matthew drew a deep breath. "Mary asked me to go to a fund-raiser dinner of her mother's with her."

To his relief Tom didn't seem to be shocked. "Oh, did she?" he said smiling slightly. "Do you like her? I thought you might."

He sounded interested, but not mad at all and Matthew felt better immediately.

"Yes, I guess I do. Well, she came to visit Sybil a few times during the last weeks. It always seemed to happen to be when you were away for work. We talked a bit and well ... did you know she went to the same uni as I did? We even had some of same profs a few years apart, so I didn't meet her then. Well, anyhow a few days ago she asked me to accompany her to the fund-raiser."

Tom raised his eyebrows, confused by this confession. "And?"

Matthew sighed. "And I thought I should mention it to you. I don't want to meddle or anything ... I mean you told me you broke up, so I hope you don't mind?"

Tom chuckled. "No, I don't mind at all. It's none of my business. You're, as always, much too considerate, Matt."

Matthew let go of the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "Good ... good to know."

He studied his friend closely. "I know you said so, but I just couldn't help noticing that you haven't been yourself lately. I mean you're really becoming a workaholic and I thought that maybe I didn't understand your relationship with Mary."

"No," Tom said, his face suddenly serious. "It's not that. Certainly not." He glanced at Matthew who was still looking sceptical.

He put his hand through his hair and sighed. "Look, I swear it has nothing to do with Mary. Really, all I've told you about her and me was true. I know I've been a bit ... distracted the last few weeks, but that was for other reasons."

"Reasons you don't want to share?"

Tom shook his head. "No, not yet.. It's ... complicated. I think I need to figure it out on my own first."

**xxxx**

"Hmm, something is smelling really good, here!"

Tom turned around from the front of the stove and grinned at Sybil who had just entered the kitchen. His heart skipped a beat like it did every time he saw her lately and he couldn't help noticing how lovely she looked. She had her hair open and was dressed casually in pale blue summer dress, but in his eyes, she was breathtaking especially since the colour of the dress seemed to accentuate the blue of her eyes.

"I hope it tastes good, too. I just mixed a bunch of things together that looked good together. "

"I'm not worried," Sybil said, stepping behind him and looking over his shoulder. "I've loved everything you've made so far. You are most certainly the best cook in this family." She took a spoon and tried to get a bite, but Tom patted her hand away.

"No, no, no. You'll have to wait till it's done."

"But I'm so hungry!" Sybil pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. "Please? Just a little bit?"

Tom smiled and shook his head. "Nope. You can set the table. That will keep you busy and make you forget your hunger." He took her by the shoulders and turned her in direction of the cupboards.

Sybil chuckled. "No fair, and that when I had such a day today. I got the results for my finals..."

Tom stilled: "And?"

"I did it!" Sybil beamed, turned around and hugged him enthusiastically.

Tom relished in the feeling of holding her close. For a split second, he allowed himself to bury his face in her hair before he sternly reminded himself to let go of her.

"I knew you would," he smiled at her, still having his hands on her arms. "In fact I was so sure of it, that I cooked this dinner and ..." he opened the fridge and pointed to a bottle of champagne, "bought this to celebrate you being officially a foundation doctor."

Sybil was touched. "Aw, Tom, how sweet of you! You're the best!"

She went to the cupboard and fetched the plates to set the table. Suddenly she remembered something. "Matthew texted me to ask if I passed and he mentioned he won't be here tonight. He has a business dinner and since it is only five minutes from his mother's, he's decided to stay over and pay her a visit. He said he hasn't seen her for a while so she will be delighted to have him there."

She went to another cupboard and got forks and knifes. "So it will be just us to celebrate," she smiled.

Tom turned around to the stove so she couldn't see his shocked face. He had waited for such a moment, hadn't he? He desperately wanted to talk to her about his feelings and at the same time he was terrified. Their usual morning run didn't seem the right time to talk, but dinner and champagne certainly were.

_This is it._


	11. Chapter 11

_So here we are. Tom is determined to tell Sybil about his feelings._

_Thank you to everyone who commented on the story. It's so great to get feedback, it motivates and inspires me._

_It also cannot be said enough: Thank so much to Scarletcourt for editing this story for me. Her input is so helpful!_

_Last but not least, since my Tom in this story is a runner, too, I'd like to take the opportunity to ask all my readers for supporting Allen Leech in this year's London Marathon an April 21rd. He's running for centrepoint UK and you can donate for his good cause. Since I don't know how to post links here and since I'm not sure I'm allowed to do so, I'd ask you to check out Allen's profile on twitter ( Allenleech). He tweeted about it only a week ago. You'll find the link to donate there._

_And now without further ado..._

_._

.

It was almost two hours later and they had long moved from the table to the living room and still Tom hadn't found the courage to bring the topic up. Now they were sitting on the sofa, the champagne bottle almost empty and Sybil was getting tipsy. She was leaning her head against the cushions, a happy smile on her face.

"I'm so relieved I passed the finals. I was really worried about them. Now I must think if I'm going to choose a special field. I'm not sure yet."

Tom leaned his ellbow on the back of the sofa, facing her head on his hands. "I knew you would pass. You're dedicated and always studying."

Sybil smiled "It's sweet that you have so much faith in my abilities," she turned her head and the movement brought her face near to his own. Tom felt his mouth go dry staring into her beautiful eyes. It would be so easy to just ...

"I have all faith in the world in your abilities," he whispered.

He recognized the moment her mood changed. One moment she was just smiling, but then their eyes locked. Her eyes travelled down to his lips and he held his breath, leaning in ever so slightly. She met him halfway and then they were kissing,very slowly, very sweetly. The first kiss was just a brush of lips, but then his hand came up to her face, bringing her closer to him. She tasted heavenly, her lips soft and sweet under his. He felt almost dizzy of happiness.

_This is it! _

He lost all count of time and didn't know how long they had kissed, when she suddenly said. "No, Tom..." and broke the kiss.

Opening his eyes and breathing a bit more heavily than before he looked down on her in confusion. Did he do something wrong? It had still been a very chaste kiss, surely nothing too ...

"I'm sorry," he said automatically without knowing for what he was apologizing.

Sybil retreated a bit from him and looked unhappy. "No! No, I'm the one who should apologize," she said in a tiny voice. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Sybil ..."

"No," she interrupted him. "I know, I shouldn't have kissed you. It's ... uh, I'm more tipsy than I thought ... I didn't want to kiss you."

_Ouch. _

He needed to tell her now. He had to be honest, it was eating him up inside.

He sat up and looked at her again. "Sybil," he started tentatively. "These last weeks, since you moved in here ..." He shook his head because words failed him and he didn't know how to continue. He felt her questioning gaze on his face and raised his eyes to hers. "I'm falling for you," he rushed on. "It's why I ended it with Mary and I trust me, I told myself and told myself it's too soon but I can't keep it in any longer."

_She doesn't feel as you do, Tom. _

He knew it from the way she looked away from him, avoiding his gaze.

"Tom, I..." she trailed off. Searching obviously for the right words to turn him down.

He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. They both didn't speak for a while.

Looking up again he said, "It's okay. You don't feel the same as I do."

She surprised him. "I don't know if I do," she said honestly. "I do feel... something... I can't deny that." She gave him a tiny smile. "Otherwise I wouldn't have kissed you."

He looked at her intently and suddenly hopeful again. "But?"

"But I'm not like Mary," she said earnestly. "I can't do this."

_She thinks you only want sex?_

"This is completely different," he hurried to assure her. "I'm falling in love with you, Sybil, it's not at all like it was with Mary!"

He took her hand in his and tried to clarify the situation. "I know this sounds bad, but you have to believe me, I never felt anything for Mary. It was impulsive ... I was bored and restless and tired of everything, but this ...," he waved a finger between them and his tone got urgent in his need to make her understand, "… this is so much more!"

Sybil looked down on their intertwined hands, where his thumb was stroking her skin lightly.

"It's too soon," she whispered. "I want to believe you and trust you, but I'm not sure I can ... yet."

He had to swallow hard before he could trust his voice. "It's okay," he said quietly and released her hand. "I can wait. I can wait as long as you need."

She was still looking down, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek and he desperately wanted to assure her that everything was still al right between them.

"Come here," he said and drew her in a hug. "We're still friends, right?"

He could feel her nod against his neck. "I want us to," she murmured in a tiny voice. "I couldn't bear it to lose you as a friend now."

"Never," he said, leaning back so he could look at ther earnestly. "Don't ever think about that."

She nodded and tried a little smile. "Are we Okay?"

He smiled back. "Okay," he said.

But she could see in his eyes that she had just broken his heart.


	12. Chapter 12

_Wow, I should write angsty chapters a few more often. I'm amazed that so many people commented! Thank you so much all of you!_

_One thing about this chapter: I like to think my modern Tom has his hair the way Allen has it in the picture I use here for this story. Or think Agrippa in the first scene with Octavia._

_._

.

"You can't be serious." Mary was annoyed. "Four people in one car? Why?"

It was a month later and they were all together packing the car for their drive to Downton, the Crawley's estate in Yorkshire, where the annual fund-raiser dinner would take place. Tom rolled his eyes.

"Because we fit in one car perfectly and it's much more ecologically-friendly than driving separately," Sybil explained. Tom had to bite his cheeks to suppress a chuckle.

_I bet she will love the ecological point, Sybil!_

But to his surprise Mary just groaned and accepted her fate.

"And why is Tom driving and Matthew and I have to sit in the back?" she complained.

"Oh, you wouldn't ask that, if you've driven once with Matthew," Tom told her. "In my opinion, the insurance industry should invent a whole new category just for him. He really is an awful driver."

He grinned at Matthew who had just finished putting his suitcase in the boot of the car and who boxed him in on his way back to his side of the car.

"Besides," Tom added. "This is my car."

Mary raised her eyebrows and looked from the shiny black BMW to Tom. "Really? Well who would have thought?"

"Indeed, who would have thought that?" Sybil echoed her and looked at him equally surprised.

Matthew laughed. "Ladies, you've just found out Tom's deepest, darkest secret: Under his left wing idealistic, women's rights supportive, ecologically responsible surface beats the heart of a real, stereotypical and testosterone-filled male. He's a secret car fiend ."

"Not a car fiend," Tom mumbled. "I just happen to like them."

"Oh really? Admit it, you spent more than a year's salary on this baby here," Matthew continued mercilessly and Tom felt his ears go red under Sybil's surprised glance.

But rescue came from an unexpected corner. "Well," Mary said. "For once in my life I'm of one opinion with Tom. Beautiful car." She opened the door and climbed into the back seat. "Let's go."

**xxxx**

_He is a good driver,_ Sybil thought, glancing at Tom, while they drove through the English countryside. In the back seat both Matthew and Mary had fallen asleep twenty minutes ago, leaning against one another, Mary's head on Matthew's shoulder.

Tom, feeling her gaze, looked at her and winked when there was a slight snore coming from the back seat. Sybil grinned back and watched as his head turned back to the road. She took in his relaxed profile, his hair falling into his face always looking a bit dishevelled which she thought was adorable, the blue eyes now concentrated on the road, his firm jaw, his neck slightly razor burned ...

She sighed and cursed herself inwardly for it. She seemed to do that a lot lately, sighing. He was just so terribly attractive.

_Stop it, Sybil. You were the one who just wanted to be just friends, remember? _

_Yeah, right._

And Tom had been a good friend over the last month. He didn't make her feel awkward, just resumed their friendship as if he had never told her about his feelings. They ran every morning, they talked, they laughed, they watched the telly together and goofed around with Matthew. It was because of this, that she asked him to accompany her for the fund-raiser dinner despite their still unresolved relationship issue.

Nothing in Tom's behaviour showed his feelings and if she had not sometimes caught his glances in an unguarded moment, she might have thought that she had dreamed their conversation a month ago. But had she been in doubt about the depth of his feelings then, she wasn't any more, because in those rare moments when he thought she wasn't looking, she saw such adoration and love written all over his face that it sent a thrill through her body.

But another reason for her refusing Tom that evening had been Mary of course. Even though both had told her separately that their relationship had just been physical and superficial, she wasn't sure she could believe it. Mary had told her of their "agreement" as she called it, which had lasted several months after all. Were there really no deeper feelings involved from either? Maybe even without really knowing it?

And yet Mary had continued to visit her regularly and when she met Tom, they seemed to be fine with the situation. There was no big tension or awkward glances or anything. They seemed to get into arguments much too easily and rolled their eyes about some of the other's views on a regular basis, but with usually Matthew or herself in their company they were mostly friendly and their behaviour very circumspect. Tom also didn't seem to mind at all that Mary and Matthew were getting closer. They were not really dating yet, but they obviously enjoyed each other's company. Matthew's face lit up visibly when Mary arrived for a visit and Mary was surprisingly calm when he was around, and she had asked him to accompany her to the fund-raiser. That was almost as good as a real date.

So when Sybil thought about the possibility of being more than friends with Tom, it eventually came down to her own feelings, and she still wasn't sure about them. They didn't know each other very long. She had just broke off an unhappy relationship and she had no plans to enter another one. Furthermore she had left Larry, because he had cheated on her. She found it difficult to trust a man again and knowing that Tom was so casual about sex as to sleep with her sister for months without loving her wasn't helping matters.

It also didn't help that she was so seriously attracted to him. Never in her life had she known what it meant to lust over a man, but she certainly knew now.

_Take only this moment_, she thought as she watched his hands on the wheel. He had his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms and Sybil stared fascinated at the muscles flexing beneath his skin.

_You even get flustered about a pair of forearms!_

She had always thought physical attraction and sex were just something that came with love. Her only real relationship had been with Larry Grey. She had thought him good looking but never felt goosebumps on her skin when he had looked at her in a certain way, nor did she wish to prolong every single touch or hold her breath when they had happened to brush against one another. When he had hugged her, she didn't feel the strange urge to bury her nose into his neck and breathe in his scent and certainly she never had fantasized jumping him and just having her way with him! She felt a blush creep up her face when she thought about how much her desire had increased during the time she lived in a flat with Tom. She was embarrassed to admit that even to herself, but sometimes he was all she could think about when she lay in her bed feeling restless, knowing that he was sleeping in the room just next to hers.

It was exciting to feel so attracted to him, but it also made her doubt her own judgement. How could she think objectively about the depth of her feelings when her hormones were running amok? Was it just lust or indeed love or maybe, hopefully both?

She tore her eyes away from Tom and absent-mindedly stared out of the window at the green landscape they were passing, thinking about their runs every morning. It was so easy to talk to him. They shared a lot of views and if they didn't, they enjoyed discussing them. They never ran out of topics, there were no awkward silences between them and even if there was silence, it was a comfortable one. She loved his sense of humour, the way he teased her or Matthew. He was funny but always gentle and never mean. He could also really laugh about himself, that was one of his most disarming traits.

She really loved how he wore his heart on his sleeve. She really loved that he didn't avoid saying things she might dislike, because he wanted to be honest with her. She loved how he always listened to her. She really loved ...

_Oh my god, I love him. _

Sybil's eyes widened in shock.

_I love him!_

How could she have questioned it? It was utterly clear all the sudden!

For a moment she just sat there, staring in front of her in wonder. Then a smile started spreading over her face and she suddenly felt deliriously happy. She could have hugged the whole world, but especially the delightfully intoxicating man next to her driving along, oblivious to the fact that something just had fundamentally changed in their relationship.

_Better let him drive and concentrate on the task of how to tell him! _Sybil was ruefully grinning to herself.

_Well, how do I tell him? Among fifty prominent guests at a fund-raiser dinner party? _

_Probably not. _

_Arghh! I have been so stupid!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Today is my birthday (yes, I'm getting old) and I drank far too much red wine at my birthday dinner tonight. But as a little birthday present dear Scarlet sent me the next chapter and of course, I'm happy to hand it to you all imediately._

_Our favourite couple arrived at Downton and has a little tour of the house and its surroundings. I thank Scoutlet for a special scene towards the end of the chapter, because she suggested it!_

_._

_._

_._

"Holy shit!" When Tom caught the first glimpse of the house.

"Oh my!" Matthew echoed the sentiment and the two Crawley girls smiled.

"I know. That's the usual reaction," Mary said. "It's an impressive house, isn't it?"

Tom shook his head. "I think house isn't the adequate term for it. Looks more like a castle!"

He looked over to Sybil. "Do your parents really live here?"

"Only three months during the summer," Sybil explained. "The rest of the year they live in London, and they usually don't stay in the big house, but in the last Dower house, which is nearby. The Abbey is open to the public. It is closed for the weekend because of the fundraiser, so my parents are staying there, too. They always do that when they have one of their events."

"How many people will be there?" Matthew asked from the back seat.

"The dinners are not that big, usually no more than sixty to eighty people." Mary answered. "The Ball is much bigger,but then not all people are staying in the house as they do tonight."

"What kinds of people are going to come?" Tom asked.

Sybil sighed. "Most of them are just rich. That's why I don't like it so much. They're going to talk about money and investments and taxes most of the evening. It's either boring or exasperating depends on who is talking, either way it's not one of my favourite events."

"Oh come now, Sybil, it's not that bad," Mary chided. "Some of them are really interesting people!"

"Define interesting," Sybil murmured under her breath and Tom grinned at her.

**xxxx**

Two hours later, after the welcome of Sybil's parents and a short tour through the house, Tom was admiring the library when she went to look for him.

"This is an amazing room," he told her in awe. "The collection alone must be worth a fortune."

"It is," Sybil said. "I read somewhere that it is one of the most valuable collections in England." She smiled at him.

"I've got something else I want to show you." She then added. "I think you might like it very much."

Tom raised an eyebrow and followed her through the hall to a small door. They went down the stairs behind it.

"This is where the old kitchen were and the servant's hall. The kitchen is still there, but not in the same room and the rest is used for laundry and stuff," Sybil explained while they passed a few rooms and crossed a long hall to a side door.

They left the house and followed a gravel path to some side buildings.

"Here it is," Sybil said and led him through a wooden door. "Ta da!"

They were standing in a huge garage. Several beautiful cars were parked there.

"Oh my god," Tom exclaimed when he saw the cars. "This is a fecking Ferrari!" He pointed to the car next to him. "Don't tell me it's your father's?"

"Yes, it is," Sybil said. "He likes to collect them."

Tom went to the Ferrari and looked into it. "Wow," he said. "I've never seen one up close."

"It's open," Sybil said. "You can sit inside if you'd like."

"Really?" He grinned excitedly to her and opened the driver-side door. Sybil went to the other side and sat beside him.

"Amazing," he said stroking the leather wheel and looking around. "Feels amazing. So where's the key?"

Sybil chuckled. "Sorry, I don't have it. Shall I go and ask my father for it?"

"Nah, not on my first visit," Tom said. Suddenly realizing the implication that he would visit more often, he covered his embarrassment by getting out of the car. "So what else have we here? A stretch limo! Never saw one up close before!"

Sybil went to him. "Go inside," she said. "But this time in the back seat." She followed him into the limousine and sat beside him on the comfortable seat.

"Wow," Tom said leaning his head against the cushions. "This is comfy! So much space, we could have our own party here."

"We can," Sybil grinned and opened a little cupboard to her right. "There's a fridge in here." She pointed to a bottle of champagne. "And we can watch TV, too." She leaned over and searched for something next to his seat. Tom felt the familiar tingle, that he got whenever she was close to him. He could smell her perfume and had to fight the urge to reach out for her.

_I could do other things in here with you_. _Kissing, for example. If there ever was a car to make love in, this is it._

"Here it is!" Sybil sat up, causing Tom to release the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. She showed him a remote control. Waving it around, she told him what it could do.

"The TV of course, but it's also for the stereo." Soft music started to play. "The best thing," she pushed another button and a barrier came up that divided back and front of the car, "you can even have a little privacy in here." She turned towards him with a brilliant smile and his mouth went dry.

_Space, space, space, she needs space and time_, he repeated over and over in his mind, just like he had been doing for the last month or so. But it was difficult, having her so close to him and in these surroundings. She was looking at him with her smiling blue eyes, her lips slightly parted and it was all he could do to tear his eyes away from her.

Clearing his throat softly he swallowed and tried to find a neutral topic. "So who drives this anyway? I can't imagine your father sitting up front, driving around his family in a limo?"

Sybil laughed. "No, of course not. We actually almost never use it, but if we do Papa has a driver who looks after all the cars and who is the chauffeur for such occasions. Sometimes my parents have to go to some official functions. I actually have never driven in it."

"Too bad," Tom grinned. "Seems like the perfect place to lose your virginity after some school dance." The words were out before he could stop them and he inwardly groaned at himself.

_Just brilliant, Tom, just brillian! Neutral topic indeed._

But Sybil just laughed and raised an eyebrow. "So that's your fantasy, huh? Good to know."

_Good to know? What did that mean? Was she suggesting that they could ... that they would ... someday?_

He stared at her, a question in his eyes that he not dared to ask. Sybil was looking at him, her face suddenly serious. They held each other's eyes for a long while.

"Sybil..."

"Tom, I..."

They smiled when they both started to speak at the same time. He nodded her to go first and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

"Tom, I've been thinking," she said shyly looking at him. "I know I told you I wanted us to be just friends, but I think ..."

Tom held his breath and unable to speak just looked into her eyes.

"I think I want more, too," she whispered and was rewarded with a brilliant smile that spread over his face. He drew her close and put his arms around her in a fiercely hug holding her as close as he could without crushing her.

"Oh, Sybil," he sighed happily, before they kissed.


	14. Chapter 14

"So, Matthew, Mary tells me, you're a lawyer, too?" Cora asked politely while they were sipping their tea on the terrace at the back of the house.

The sun was shining and Matthew was in awe by the view they had from there. It was beautiful. He was really enjoying himself. It was almost like a vacation. Finally, he was able to spend some time with Mary. He liked the house. The weather and her parents were also nice people. He had had a nice chat with her father before they went to have tea. Interesting man that Robert Crawley.

"Yes," he answered to Cora's question. "I am a specialist in inheritance law."

"How did you two meet?" Cora asked and Mary rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so curious, Mama,"

"Oh, I'm one of Sybil's flatmates," Matthew explained.

Cora stared at him with round eyes. "Sybil shares a flat with you?"

"With Tom, and me yes," Matthew nodded and seeing Cora's horrified face, threw a helpless glance at Mary who was grimacing slightly. Obviously Sybil hadn't told her parents. "I'm sorry ... I thought you knew ...," he trailed off.

"Sybil lives with two men?!" Cora squeaked.

Matthew didn't know how to answer that. "Well ..."

Mary grinned. "Times are changing, Mama, but I assure you Matthew and Tom are quite the gentlemen were your daughter is concerned. Don't fret."

Little did she know that one of the "gentlemen" wasn't behaving very gentlemanly at all right now.

xxxx

"Tom?" Sybil asked between kisses.

"Mmm," he murmured unwilling to give up his mouth's current occupation for talking. He drew her head back down to his, captured her lips again in a hungry kiss, before he started kissing down her neck to a spot right behind her ear.

Sybil tried to stay focused, but it was difficult.

"We, ummm," _God he is so good at this,_ "We ... hmmm, we need to go back to the house."

Tom slowly opened his eyes to look up to her. "We do?" He sighed. "Can't we stay here?"

She grinned down at him. "No, we came for a fund-raiser dinner, remember?"

He let his head fall back on the soft carpet under him. Somehow during the last fifteen minutes they had ended up on the floor of the limo, with him lying flat on his back and Sybil on top of him. He had to say it was one comfortable carpet though. If it was up to him, they would have stayed here for much longer.

But she was right of course. So slowly, reluctantly he withdrew his hand from her back where it had somehow found its way under her blouse almost out of it's own volition.

"Ok," he sighed dramatically. "If we must, we must."

"Hmmm," Sybil smiled down on him with a dreamy expression in her blue eyes.

He grinned. "Well, stand up then."

She didn't move. "I don't want to."

She leaned down and kissed him again and he didn't hesitate to respond eagerly. His hand wandered back to where it had been a few minutes before, stroking the warm skin of her lower back, his other hand settling at her neck, drawing her even closer if that was possible. He groaned in her mouth when she shifted her body slightly, sliding her lower abdomen over his fully-aroused body. Sybil felt a new flash of arousal herself rushing to her groin where she felt his hardness against her and she moaned in response, her hands tugging his shirt out of his trousers eager to feel his skin under her fingertips.

He rolled them around so he was hovering above and his tongue met hers in an even more passionate kiss that left them both breathless and panting.

"Oh God," Sybil moaned when they came up for air again. "But we really must go."

He nodded but didn't move.

She raised an eyebrow. "We're not very good at this, are we?"

He chuckled ruefully, took a deep breath and finally lifted himself a little bit from her to sit up. "Just because you're making this so difficult."

"Me?" she cried indignantly.

"Yes," he grinned helping her sitting up, too and giving her a quick peck on the lips. "You're just too beautiful and much too alluring."

Well, who was she to argue with that. Sybil decided to ignore the untruthful reproach that bubbled up to her lips and smile instead. They exited the car and stood across from one another, grinning sheepishly when they both had to rearrange their clothing a bit.

"Ready?" Sybil asked when Tom finished tucking his shirt into his jeans.

"As ready as I can be," he said and reached out to stroke a strand of hair out of her face.

He shouldn't have done that.

Suddenly they were all over each other again and before she knew it Sybil found herself lying on her back on the hood of the Ferrari next to them. Some heated moments later, Tom chuckled ruefully against her neck.

"Blast."

"Yeah," Sybil sighed. She pushed him away gently, sat up and gave him a reproachful glance, when she had to button up her blouse once again.

"Oops," he said bashfully. He took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll behave now. I promise." He reached out, took her hand and helped her down from the car.

"This is a dangerous combination," he said looking around in the garage. "You and all those cars."

"I'll keep that in mind," she laughed.

They left the garage and wandered back to the house hand in hand.

"What are we going to say to Matthew and Mary?" Sybil suddenly asked.

Tom looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean about us. What will Mary say?" She stopped and looked at him.

Tom stood returning her gaze. "Sybil ... really, I don't think she'll care. We were never a real couple and we broke it up two months ago. I thought she might have talked with you about it?"

"We did actually," Sybil admitted. "And she said it was nothing."

"Because it was," he said emphatically. "Please, you must trust me on this."

She sighed. "I'll try. Really will. It's not that easy though to be honest. It's just so odd to think that you and her ..." She shook her head.

"Don't go there, love," Tom pleaded. "It was nothing, _nothing _compared to what we have. It was just a whim because there was nothing better for either of us to do and no one else there for us to care about." He took both her hands in his and stared down on her, his eyes open and intense, willing her to understand. "Please, you have had other boyfriends, right? You lived with that Larry guy, and your feelings for him were different from what they are now for me, aren't they?"

Sybil nodded. "Yes, completely different." She grimaced. "But Larry isn't your brother. I'm a little torn over this. I love you. I'm sure of that now, but I really don't want to hurt my sister. I love her, too you know."

Tom enfolded her in his arms. "I know you do, and I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am you love me. But I'm sure she will tell you the same thing as I am telling you. Don't worry, okay?"

He felt her nodding against his chest and they both indulged themselves in just holding one another for a moment longer. Then Tom leaned back a bit to look down on her.

"Let's go and get all dressed up, shall we?"


	15. Chapter 15

_Well, it's the evening of the dinner. In the very first part, I always picture Jess in "Albatross" when she's standing in front of the mirror in her underwear. So that's where I borrowed it._

_I had fun writing the chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it, too!_

_._

_._

_._

Sybil took extra care while dressing for the evening. She took a lengthy shower, shaved thoroughly, straightened her hair and rummaged through her suitcase to find her best underwear. It was only when she looked at herself in the mirror wearing it, that she admitted to herself that she did all this with a purpose: There was the possibility in her mind that she and Tom would have sex later that evening.

_Really, Sybil, you don't know if you'll even want to._

Feeling the heat rise to her face when she remembered their make-out session in the garage earlier she had to laugh at herself.

_Skip that. You know you want to. _

_But maybe he isn't ready yet? _

_Well..._ that thought was even more laughable, thinking of his very obvious "readiness" against her body when they were lying on the floor of the limo.

_Who am I kidding? We were both more than ready this afternoon. _

_But maybe we shouldn't?_

She sighed. That was the trickier question. It would be very soon. They had known each other for a few months already and she felt they knew each other _very_ well. But she only just realized how in love she was with him and they only admitted their feelings that afternoon. Her scruples about with Tom had been all about sex after all. She had been afraid that he saw things less seriously than she did and that he was generally too casual about it. She still wasn't sure about that. She knew his feelings for her were real and honest. He had said it and she believed him, but did she trust him enough yet to sleep with him?

_If I do he'll be able to break my heart even more ..._

But she would never know for sure, would she? She had trusted Larry and he turned out to be so not worth her trust. She had been together with him for two years, even lived with him and still he had been able to completely fool and betray her. He had _seemed _to be serious about her and monogamous. Instead he had slept around several times as she discovered.

It all came down to being brave about it and trusting her instincts. It felt right this afternoon, so very right. She really didn't want to rush things with Tom, but somehow she didn't think they were. Maybe she was just stupid, but she felt secure and loved and yes, she did trust him.

_Do I have to decide now? _

No. She decided she would wait what the evening would bring.

_It doesn't hurt to be prepared though. _Sybil looked around. At least she should tidy up her room a bit. She took the laundry that was lying all over the bed and the floor and threw it into her suitcase again. Then she put the suitcase under her bed.

_Better. But..._

Suddenly a thought crossed her mind.

_Oh dear._

_Well, he could have some. Most guys did, didn't they?_

She grimaced at the thought of talking about it in advance only to find they both didn't.

_That would really suck the romance out of their first time, wouldn't it?_

_Edith. I'm going to ask Edith._

Usually Mary would have been her first choice, but asking her seemed awkward for obvious reasons. So Sybil left the room determined to find a moment alone with her other older sister.

**xxxx**

Unbeknown to her Tom had the same thought. It was not that he was _expecting_ something to happen that evening. But still, when they had been in the garage, she had been so incredibly responsive. A smile came to his face that didn't want to go away.He was very willing to take things at her pace and if she wanted more time he was prepared to go as slow as she wanted and to wait as long as she needed.

_Still. __A guy can hope, can't he?_

When he was tying his bow-tie in front of the mirror, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Frowning he went to the table where he had put his wallet. He opened it and looked inside.

_Shit._

Well, that was it then. No sex tonight, that was for sure.

_Damn!_

There was one option, but it will be embarrassing.

**xxxx**

"Tom, where have you been all afternoon?" Matthew greeted him in the library where the family and the guests gathered for cocktails before dinner. "We've been sitting in the sun on the terrace. It was lovely."

Tom smiled at his friend. "Actually, I had a lovely afternoon, too. I was with Sybil. She showed me her father's garage. You wouldn't believe the cars he has, Matt! A fecking Ferrari, can you believe it?"

"Wow, that must have been a dream come true for you then," Matthew grinned knowing only too well Tom's love for cars.

"Yeah, it was... in more ways than one."

Something in his smile told Matthew that there was more to it than just cars, so he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh? Do I detect an especially dreamy expression on your face there?"

Tom blushed a little. "I guess."

Matthew grinned. "So Sybil and you then? Who would have thought? Especially since you've been looking at her like a lovesick puppy for weeks now."

"I have not!" Tom protested, but Matthew just laughed.

"So you figured it out, huh?" Tom asked his friend a little bit embarrassed.

"It was plain as day. Since you were so absentminded for weeks and you'd told me that you weren't heartbroken about Mary there were only two other options: trouble at work or another woman and I do have eyes you know. Seeing you two every day, it was obvious what was happening between you two."

Tom smiled, a slight blush on his face. "Think her parents will kill me?"

Matthew chuckled. "Why should they kill you? You're a good man."

"Yeah right. A very good man," Tom said sarcastically. "Didn't you see her father's look when I mentioned where I worked? Obviously he's not too impressed with journalists, especially if they work for 'The Guardian'."

"You'll just have to avoid political discussions with him and hold your socialist tongue a bit. Oh and avoid religion, too," Matthew advised him.

Tom looked at him in comical despair. "Great. What do I talk about then? The weather?!"

"That and Downton," Matthew nodded. "You can also assure him of your best behaviour towards his little daughter, because I can tell you they're horrified that Sybil is living with us. They didn't know."

At Tom's exasperated glare Matthew laughed again. "Oh, I forgot, you probably don't want to behave too good." He had the pleasure to see his friend blush.

_Well, if that's not the opening you've been looking for, I don't know what is. _

Tom grimaced. "Matt?" _It was now or never._ "About what you just said, you don't happen to have uhm... you know some well... 'protection' on you, do you?"

Matthew spilled out his cocktail and nearly choked. "What?!"

Tom grimaced. "Well, you know... I usually have one in my wallet, but I must have forgotten to replace it the last time I was with M..."

"Tom Branson, That's so much more about your sex-life than I really want to know!" Matthew groaned interrupting him hastily. "Especially since it makes my own look so extremely dull," he added sounding annoyed.

"Can't you help you with that," Tom grinned apologetically. "But, do you?"

Matthew rolled his eyes, he went a bit to the side of the room with him, took his wallet out of his pocket, took a silver foil out of it and handed to him with an exasperated sigh. "There you are. I'm a responsible adult male after all."

Tom smiled. "Thanks, Matt! I could kiss you for that!"

"Please don't," Matthew held up his hands. "And be prepared that if I actually get a chance with Mary tonight, I'm going to kill you tomorrow."

"Let's hope you won't then," Tom smirked. "She actually likes you. I think she's odd that way."

He padded his friend on the shoulder. "I guess I'm going to look for Sybil."

Matthew watched him leaving rolling his eyes with a grin. What a cheeky bastard! He then scanned the room for Mary. There she was, standing next to the Turkish ambassador and looking beautiful but slightly bored. When he caught her glance he raised his eyebrows and she smiled.

_What the fuck did Tom mean with "she actually likes you"?_


	16. Chapter 16

Tom didn't really remember much about the dinner later. He was much too busy staring at Sybil sitting across him on the large dinner table. As much as he tried to tear his eyes away from her, they seem to go back to her of their own volition.

He wasn't an idiot and knew how to behave at business dinners. As a political journalist, he'd had his share of them, especially since he mostly did EU coverage during the last few years. He usually wasn't tongue-tied either. He could make polite conversation with almost everyone, or so he thought.

But tonight his social skills had become fleeting the moment he saw Sybil in the hall before the dinner began. Standing there in _that _dress, wearing _that_ smile on her face ... he was just stunned. He'd known she was beautiful. He'd definitely noticed it a lot since she moved in with them, but today she was simply breathtaking. He wondered how anyone in the room could look anywhere else when she was so radiant that he couldn't think about anything but her.

Ruefully, he noticed that the woman next to him at the dining table was talking to him again and for the third time he had no idea what she had said. He willed his head to turn towards her and tried to figure out what to say. She looked at him expectantly, obviously waiting for an answer to a question. Cursing himself inwardly Tom decided that he really had no idea and instead of reaching in the dark he decided another approach.

"Sorry," he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

He stood up and left the room quickly, pretending to go for the loo. He didn't really need to, but what was he supposed to do without seeming even more impolite? On his way outside he caught Sybil's questioning look and winked at her.

_I wonder if she knows what she's doing to me looking like that? _

He strode into the hall and looked around a bit, unsure what to do, when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "May I help you?"

Smiling he turned around to find Sybil, who just came out of the dining room after him.

"In fact you can," he said, looking around and dragging her to the side, behind one of the large columns. Drawing her close he murmured. "You must stop distracting me so terribly much."

"I didn't do anything!" she protested. "I was talking to Sir Anthony. He told me very fascinating things about tractors and—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because Tom clearly didn't want to hear about Sir Anthony right now, but had other things in mind. He kissed her, turning them around, so that he had her trapped between him and the column. Sybil felt goosebumps again, drawing him even closer, losing her fingers in the hair at the back of his head, moaning at the back of her throat when he deepened the kiss even further leaving her breathless.

After a few very heated moments they broke apart, grinning at each other.

"Better?" Sybil chuckled.

"Hmm, yes," he nodded leaning his forehead against hers and smiling down at her. "God, you look so beautiful." He sighed. "How many more courses?"

Sybil shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. I must confess I didn't pay much attention to the food either." They both had to laugh at that. "Look at us," she said. "We're quite a pair tonight, aren't we?"

She reached up to wipe a bit of her lipstick from Tom's face. "How do I look?", she asked.

"Beautiful," he smiled. He wiped a bit of smudged lipstick from the corner of her mouth. "There. Perfect. Come on, let's go back inside."

**xxxx**

"These two should get a room."

Matthew turned his head, surprised and thrilled to hear Mary's voice next to his ear. He followed her glance towards Sybil and Tom, who were standing a little aside from the other guests who had followed their hosts into the hall after dinner. People were now standing around in little groups, drinking wine and cocktails and talking politely. But it was obvious that Sybil and Tom had only eyes for each other. They were standing very close. Much too close for just friends and they were talking quietly to each other, smiling and staring into one another's eyes intently. Matthew had to admit Mary had a point.

"Maybe they will," he said to Mary. "Would it bother you?"

Mary looked at him in surprise. "Me? Why should it?"

At his raised eyebrow, she suddenly understood. "Oh, right." She grimaced. "Would you believe me If I say I really forgot? No, it wouldn't bother me. He certainly isn't my type, but the more I see them together, I think they're a matched pair, don't you think?"

He thought she might have felt the weight lifting from his heart, but instead he turned around completely so he was facing her. "Yes, I think so, too. I'm not too thrilled at the thought of sharing my flat with two love-birds, but well, I guess I'll buy a pair of earplugs."

Mary laughed at that and he really liked it when she laughed. She didn't do it often, but it was a wonderful sound, unexpected, heart-warming and sexy at the same time.

"So did you enjoy the evening?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I did." He watched her closely and decided to be a bit more forward. "Especially now that you're here talking to me."

To his delight this remark made her blush. He hadn't thought she would. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" he added, not wanting to lose the opportunity to tell her.

She smiled at this, but shook her head.

"Thank you for coming here with me," she said, changing the topic. "I really appreciate it."

Matthew looked down on her. "No reason to thank me. It's my pleasure." He cleared his throat, thinking if he should tell her what he really wanted to say.

They had been dancing around each other for a few weeks now. He knew for sure that he was becoming crazy about her. She seemed to like him. Tom had said she did. But still they hadn't moved their relationship to another level than mere friendly acquaintances. If he was honest, he was done with playing games.

Before he could stop himself, he heard himself saying, "As long as I can spend time with you, I don't care where we are, Mary."

She raised her eyebrows, obviously surprised about his sudden confession. "Oh," she said. She took another sip from her wine and looked in his eyes, which had never left hers. For a long moment they didn't say anything, just stared at one another intently. Then Mary smiled slightly, setting her glass of wine on the table next to her.

"Well, if that is so. Maybe _we_ should think about getting a room?" She said calmly.

**xxxx**

"Tom, I need to talk to you!"

Surprised at the urgent tone in his friend's voice, Tom turned around, leaving the two glasses of wine he had just intended to get for him and Sybil disappear with the waiter.

"What is it?

"You must give it back to me."

"What?!"

"Really, you must give it back to me," Matthew repeated urgently.

Tom stared at him. "You're not serious."

"I bloody am," Matthew said. "It was mine in the first place. I'll be needing it, so please give it back!"

Tom tried another approach. "What if I said I used it already?"

"Did you?" Matthew asked, desperation clearly in his voice.

"No," sighed Tom, unable to lie. Resign he pulled out his wallet and handed Matthew the small foil. "You owe me big one, Matt. I'm not sure we're friends after this."

Matthew broke into a brilliant smile. "Thanks!", he said excitedly. "Have a nice evening."

"Yeah right," Tom muttered. "I'm sure you will."


	17. Chapter 17

_Not so fast, dear readers. You all want Bransonsexytimes? Well let's just say that anticipation is part of the game, lol._

_I thank you all so much for your reviews, they're so inspiring!_

_And speaking of "inspiring": I thank Y__**ankeecountess**__ for breainstorming a bit with me. You'll love what she came up with some chapters down the road!_

_Last but not least I must thank __**Scarlet **__again for betareading my stories. She does such a great job and I feel so safe in her competent editor-hands!_

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It was almost near midnight when Sybil had enough of polite but boring conversation with her parent's guests. She went to find Tom, took his hand and dragged him behind her out of the hall and away from the party.

"Let's go for a walk," she said to him. "It's such a beautiful evening tonight."

Tom didn't mind. He was sure he had heard enough about stocks and financial transactions for the rest of his life. It seemed most people he had talked to this evening were experts in this field, because it was all they would talk about.

They stepped out of the house and walked hand-in-hand across the lawn. It was one of those very warm summer evenings with no clouds covering the stars and the moon, so it was bright enough to see their way to the little lake not too far away.

They sat down under a tree at the border of the lake, Tom leaning against it and Sybil sitting on his lap so she "wouldn't ruin her dress". At least that was what they said. In reality they just enjoyed holding each other so close. For a while they sat in silence, watching the moon mirrored in the lake.

"Did you notice, that Matthew and Mary left the party together an hour ago?" Sybil asked after a while, leaning a bit to the side so she could look into his face.

Tom snorted a bit. "I did", he said. "Time for them to notice what's going on between them, don't you think?"

Sybil smiled a bit and settled back into a comfortable position with her head leaning against his shoulder. Tom let his cheek rest against hers, his arms enclosing her. Sybil entwined his hands in hers, playing a bit with his fingers.

"Tom?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, his lips against her temple.

"Tell me a bit about you."

"What do you want to know?"

Sybil thought for a moment. "Tell me about your romantic past."

He chuckled. "Uh huh, let's start with the tough questions first, right?"

She smiled, he could hear it in her voice. "Is it so bad?"

"Not so very bad," he said. "First love was in school. I was fourteen, her name was Kathleen and she was in the same class. Didn't last very long, but we kissed a bit when we went to the movies. I think she didn't like it much though, because she broke up afterwards. I guess I was awful. I liked it, though." He laughed.

"You're not awful any more," Sybil grinned. "I guess you got more practise."

"I didn't have a girlfriend then for a while. Just the usual party kissing and fooling around, so yes, I got a bit more practise in the kissing department, but no real girlfriend until uni. Then I went out with Lauren. That was pretty serious. She was my first and we even lived together for two years."

"Two years?" Sybil stared at him. "What happened?"

"Well, as I said, I was serious about it. I thought we were going to marry one day. But then all the sudden it was over. She moved out. I think she is married now, I hear from her from time to time on Facebook."

Sybil nodded. "But why did she leave you?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "She thought we were boring and in hindsight I should be grateful, because she was right. I didn't know any better then though, so at first I was devastated when she left."

He stroke the back of her hand slightly while he tried to explain. "I come from a large family. I wasn't used to living alone and Lauren and I we did get along well. We were friendly, we didn't fight or anything. We just lived together but there was no real interest in the other in our relationship. I thought that was enough, but of course it wasn't for her. If I had really married her, it probably would have been one huge disaster."

"How long ago did you break up?" Sybil asked.

"It's a couple of years already. Let me think. We weren't together any more when I left Uni and worked in Ireland, so I guess it must be at least four years now. No, five."

Sybil leaned back against his chest. "So who's next?"

"Matthew." Tom laughed at her face. "No seriously, there was no one in Ireland after Lauren. I just was licking my wounds, I'm afraid. Then I came to London and moved in with Matthew and Gwen and I found out that I had much more fun with my "buddy family" than I had had with Lauren all these years. So that was some kind of healing for me."

"And your love life?" Sybil asked.

Tom grimaced. "Was rather unsteady. I dated some women, but never for long and it never became anything really."

Sybil knew the answer to her next question would hurt, but she needed to know. "But you slept with them?"

"Not with all, but yes, with some." Tom said honestly. "I didn't have a one-night stand though, until, well, Mary."

"Who didn't end up being a one-night stand after all," Sybil said matter of factly.

"No," Tom said quietly. "She wasn't."

Sybil turned around to look at him. "I need to understand, Tom," she said.

Tom stroked the side of her face, while he searched for the right words to explain. "I think it was a mixture of many things. First, I met your sister at a point when I was frustrated with my work. I like being a journalist and I love writing, but the last year has just been gruesome and boring at the same time. I think I needed a change, but I havn't figured out yet what I want to do."

Sybil nodded but kept silent.

Tom then continued. "Then there was my love life, as I said. I hadn't met anyone I liked for years. As I mentioned, I dated and went out with some women, but I didn't connect with any of them and I was getting depressed over it because I was lonely. I mean suddenly I was thirty, I had my friends, I had my job, but I always thought there had to be someone out there for me."

"You're more romantic than I thought," Sybil smiled. "But it was even odder that you entered into anything but a romantic relationship with Mary."

Tom thought about it. "I think I had given up hope I would find someone special. And I have to admit that Mary boosted my male ego. She was sort of a 'trophy woman' to be honest. Not for the outside world since we never went out, but to prove to myself that I was 'the man' so to speak."

Sybil grimaced.

"I know," he said. "It's awful." He looked into her eyes earnestly. "And I regret it. Do you believe that I do?"

"I do," she sighed. "And I won't ask any more questions about it, I promise. What's done is done." She scooted back to her old position, leaning against his chest.

Tom nuzzled his face into her neck. "So it's your turn, now," he murmured. "Time for confessions."

Sybil blushed. "I don't have much to confess," she said. "I only kissed two men in my life so far. Larry and you."

Tom's eyes widened. "So Larry was your first?"

"Yes," she said, looking down on their intertwined fingers. "And he cheated on me. Several times as I know now."

Tom felt a jolt of anger at her unknown ex. _How could he betray her? _It also made him feel protective all the sudden and he decided that he had to be extra careful with her. _We'll go slow, Tom, _he reminded himself sternly.

He let his cheek rest against her hair and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling the feeling of having her so close. "Sybil, I want you to know. I would never cheat on you. I promise, " he murmured next to her ear. "As promiscuous as my love life may seem in the last years, I never cheated on any woman I was with. I would never do that to you."

His lips wandered down the side of her face again and this time she raised it to kiss him, sitting up a bit on his lap, her hand coming to the back of his neck to get closer.

They kissed unhurriedly, slowly, their lips coming together softly, retreating after a while and then repeating the motion as tenderly as before. It was sweet and intoxicating and Tom felt himself going dizzy as if he had too much to drink.

When they broke the kiss, they stared at each other in the moonlight, both smiling. Tom still had his hand on her face stroking it tenderly.

"I'm so happy," Tom whispered to her. "You make me so happy."

Sybil swallowed hard, the feeling of the moment nearly overwhelming. She smiled, stood up and took his hand.

"Let's go back to the house," she said softly.


	18. Chapter 18

_So here is the next chapter, I apologize in advance that it is more of a transitional one. _

_I hope you like it though and since running is mentioned in this chapter again, I use it for a quick reminder to support Allen Leech in his running effort for centrepointUK in the London Marathon. If you haven't donated, go and scrap a little together for this good cause. You'll find everything about it on twitter or tumblr if you look for #alsfangirls. _

_But now back to our OTP. I bet you're curious what happened after they returned from they midnight walk..._

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Sybil opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming into her room the next morning. She rolled on her back, stretching slightly and stared at the ceiling for a moment, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. She was in her old room at Downton, where she had spent every summer of her childhood and she was ... alone.

Looking over to her night stand where the little red box of condoms she had gotten from Edith yesterday afternoon stood, she sighed. Not needed after all. She didn't really regret it that they just kissed goodnight outside her room in the early hours this morning, because it felt like the right thing to do, but part of her wished she had asked him to stay after all despite the gut feeling it would be too soon.

_But oh, I do wish he was here right now …_

She hugged her pillow and sighed again longingly. Finally she sat up and searched for her slippers on the ground next to her bed.

_Time to get up. _

**xxxx**

Tom grimaced when he sat down for breakfast. He had thought he was absolutely okay with the situation and he was, but seeing Mary and Matthew at the breakfast table, both obviously sleepy and sheepishly smiling at each other all the time felt – well awkward to say the least. For once in his life he didn't know what to say, because every single sentence in his mind somehow sounded loaded with double-meaning in his mind.

He decided to pretend being hung over instead even though he had not drunk much that night and tried to avoid talking as a whole so that some unguarded comment like "and how was your night?" wouldn't come out of his mouth and concentrate instead on pleasant things like thinking about Sybil.

_Much better._

The way she looked yesterday. The way she felt when they were kissing. How they talked and opened up to one another. How close they felt to each other. Her eyes when they've said goodnight. For a moment he thought she would ask him to stay and he had held his breath, but then she just gave him a quick smile and another kiss and went inside her room.

_And it took hours before you fell asleep,_ he thought with a rueful smile.

God, he wanted her. But at the same time he was weirdly content with how things were between them. He was sure he had never been so happy before.

Looking up he saw the object of his musings enter the breakfast room in front of her father and his heart beat faster when he saw the smile that lit up her face when she spotted him. Smiling back, he pointed to the seat next to him.

"Morning," she greeted him softly. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded and wanted to say something, when her father's voice interrupted him. "So, Tom, I was sorry we hadn't much opportunity to talk yesterday. I hear you and Matthew are sharing a flat with Sybil?"

"Yes, we are," Tom answered, raising an eyebrow to Sybil, who looked slightly uncomfortable all the sudden.

"I wonder why you didn't mention anything after you left Larry, Sybil?" Robert Crawley asked his daughter indignation clearly in his voice. "We could have helped you out so you had your own place."

Sybil rolled her eyes. "But I didn't want my own place! I like living with Matthew and Tom. And I don't need your money," she added. "I have my wage from the hospital."

Robert frowned, but didn't say anything more on the topic. Instead he started talking to Tom again. "I hear you're covering EU politics a lot. What's your position on the financial crisis?"

_Uh oh, here it comes, _Tom thought. _He's not going to like me._

"Just the same as mine," Sybil chimed in before he could open his mouth. "Isn't that splendid?"

Matthew chuckled, obviously waking out of his rosy Mary dream for a moment. "It's true. These two take the same position on every single political topic."

Robert rolled his eyes. "Oh dear," Tom heard him muttering under his breath and he secretly winked at Sybil.

He wasn't going to be a favourite of her parents, but he didn't care.

_As long as you love me, I'm fine,_ he thought.

**xxxx**

They arrived in London late in the afternoon after a relatively quiet drive home. Mary and Matthew had dosed off as soon as they left Ripon. Tom was glad he didn't have to make conversation with them.

He had to admit to himself that he was feeling awkward around Matthew. Normally he would have teased his best friend for being so love-dovey, but today he couldn't. He knew Matthew was a confident guy, but it had to be weird knowing that your girlfriend slept with your best friend first. He desperately hoped Matthew wouldn't think about it too much, but he was almost sure he would.

Then there was Sybil. Tom wanted to make sure she knew he didn't care about Mary and Matthew being together, at least not because of Mary. So he had to be nonchalant about it somehow, which was extremely difficult given his current thoughts regarding Matthew.

He also was unsure of how things ought to proceed with Sybil now that they were home again. They lived in the same flat after all. It was at the same time easy and difficult, easy in terms of the opportunity to take their relationship on a more intimate level, but difficult to read the signs. What was he supposed to do? He wanted to go at Sybil's pace, but he had no idea what her pace was. They really needed to have a talk..

For the first time it dawned on him that this whole situation wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought and so when they arrived at their flat, having dropped Mary first at her own, he felt exhausted which had nothing to do with the four-hour drive from Yorkshire to London.

"What do you think of a run, Sybil?" he asked once they had brought all their bags and suitcases into the flat and was happy when she nodded enthusiastically.

It was a nice and sunny evening and as usual they jogged in silence for the first few minutes. When they started talking it was about this and that, not about Mary and Matthew nor about their visit at Downton. Slowly Tom felt the tension of the day fall from him and he was relaxed enough to pull Sybil in for a long kiss as soon as they stopped at the end of their route.

"I've wanted to do that all day," he sighed and kissed her again, this time more deeply. For a moment they both forgot that they were standing in a public park with people all around them and they both got lost in the moment.

When they broke the kiss, they smiled at one another.

"I'm glad, because I've been thinking about it all day," Sybil confessed. "And I wouldn't be terribly comfortable kissing like that sitting next to Matthew on the couch later."

He grinned. "You wouldn't? Well, how should we get rid of him then?"

She swatted him on his arm. "Getting rid of your best friend? You're heartless!"

Tom took her hand. "Well, if you insist on keeping Matthew happy for the evening, we really must make up for that time now." He dragged her to a bench nearby and pulled her on his lap.

"We're lucky that the weather is so nice," he said after another kiss. "Because I really don't want to go home just yet."

And for a good hour or so, they didn't.


	19. Chapter 19

_This is my favourite chapter and I thank yankeecountess for the idea of it. She suggested it in our little brainstorming session and I had much fun writing it!_

_Enjoy!_

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The first week of Sybil and Tom's relationship was awkward and happy all at the same time. They had to go to work the day after they returned from Downton and so they settled into their daily routine of running together every morning. They both enjoyed their time together in the morning, because often it turned out to be the only time when they were completely alone.

Mary had gone on a business trip so Matthew was home all week and both Tom and Sybil felt uncomfortable being too affectionate with him around, but pretended everything was just fine. More than once Sybil thought of just dragging Tom into her room, but was embarrassed to do so and Tom seriously thought about tipping Matthew, who seemed completely oblivous to their predicament, off to spend at least one night with his mother, but refrained from doing so when he heard that Isobel was visiting an aunt in Manchester. At the end of the week both felt they were at their limit with their patience. As much as they liked Matthew, they needed more time alone or they would burst!

So on Saturday Tom proposed that they go to see a movie. They chose the most boring movie they could find, hoping secretly the movie theatre would be empty, because all they were interested in, was finally being able to make out a bit without having Matthew sitting next to them. Things got heated pretty fast in the dark cinema and they both felt they hadn't enjoyed a movie that much for a long time. They went to a pub after that, holding hands, kissing, talking and drinking while staring into each other's eyes. They laughed a bit about their situation, but admitted that it was strangely romantic that they had to sneak away like two teenagers living at home with their parents. It was well near midnight when they returned home and secretly Tom hoped that Matthew would have gone to bed already, because he thought things might even go further if his friend wasn't around to notice when they disappeared into the same room.

He was ready. He was ready and then some to be honest. Sybil was all he could think about these last few days and he felt himself literally aching for her. Judging by her glances and responses, she was ready, too, but he knew she was shy and didn't want their first time to be practically under Matthew's nose.

Just in case Matthew wasn't asleep and they didn't want to miss any opportunity they got, they kissed again in the hall in front of the door to their flat, both a bit tipsy and breathless, Tom shoved Sybil against the wall next to the door and took the opportunity to let his hands wander under her shirt. He cupped her breasts through her bra, relishing in her softness and she moaned into his kiss, putting her fingers into his hair and pulling him as close as she could, pressing herself snug against him, which caused him to hiss.

"Jesus, Sybil..."

"I know," she moaned and pressed even harder against him, her hands tugging his shirt out of his pants. She let her fingertips run over his chest, relishing in finally feeling his skin and barely noticing that he had found the clasp of her bra and had opened it. He groaned when he cupped her breasts, feeling her hard nipples under his fingers and she nearly swallowed his tongue in her passionate response.

Suddenly a door down the hall opened and they heard footsteps. They both jolted and regretfully let go of each other. Tom sighed and opened the door to their flat while Sybil quickly rearranged her clothing.

They entered the apartment silently and stopped dead at the sight in front of them. There were Matthew and Mary in the living room and they were both not wearing many clothes and obviously right in the middle of something.

"Holy shit," Tom escaped before he quickly shoved Sybil into the kitchen, that was the nearest room to them and there they stood staring at each other wide eyed both desperately trying to contain their laughter. They heard Mary shriek and then hurried movements and then the click of the door.

Sybil looked at Tom. "I think I should go after her."

He nodded.

**xxxx**

"Don't say anything," Matthew said unable to look at Tom.

"I'm not." Tom raised his hands. He stood up, went into the kitchen and came back with two glasses. Then he went into his own room. "I think we need the good stuff," he mumbled, put a bottle of Irish whiskey on the coffee table, pouring a good amount of it in each glass and handing it to Matthew.

Matthew looked up. "You know I don't like Whiskey, right?"

"You never tasted this one," Tom said. "Come, try it, it will do you good."

Matthew tentatively took a gulp, then another and another. "You're right. That's not too bad." He groaned. "Hopefully I get smashed and forget about this evening altogether."

Tom smiled sympathetically. "Don't exaggerate. We all have been caught in embarrassing situations one day or another, haven't we?"

"I don't know, have you?"

"More than once."

Matthew nodded. "Well I haven't. But you probably have had a much more adventurous sex-life than I had."

Tom raised his eyebrows at him. "Is this what it was all about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Being adventurous?"

Matthew blushed and took another gulp of whiskey. He didn't answer.

Tom sighed. "Matt, really …"

"Don't look at me like that," Matthew suddenly became angry. "It's easy for you to say, isn't it? You with your experience and all that! I know how you lived the last few years and you know how I lived! I had one relationship with Lavinia for fuck's sake while you slept with another woman every other week! And on top of this you slept with _her _for more than two months! It's no wonder that—"

"That what?" Tom stared at him.

Matthew drank the rest of his whiskey and held his glass out for Tom to refill it. He took another gulp.

"I can't help wondering, can I?" he finally said, his words beginning to slur slightly. "I mean I don't want to, but then I think you're some kind of Irish sex-god and did all that kinky stuff."

Tom laughed helplessly. "Oh I am, of course. But I'll tell you one thing." He needed whiskey now, too. "We didn't do anything experimental if it makes you feel any better."

Matthew eyed him, his gaze a bit glazed already. "So what did you do?"

Tom groaned and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Different positions?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "You don't think we did only missionary for more than two months!"

"Different rooms?"

"No."

"Oral?"

Tom took a deep breath. "Yes."

"You and her both?"

"Yes." Tom let his head fall in his hands. "God, Matt, this is by far the most embarrassing conversation I've ever had."

"Anything else?"

"No! Can you stop it now?"

Matthew nodded. "OK. Give me more to drink."

Tom refilled both their glasses again. "Good idea."

They sat next to each other in silence, each drinking slowly until Tom started to speak. "Shall I tell you something, Matt? When we were sleeping with each other, we were going through the moves and that was it. There was no connection, no laughing or sheepish smiles. No tender moments afterwards. It was just sex, then sleep and leave before she woke up. I've never seen Mary smile like she smiles at you. And I've never seen her blush, but she does it every time you whisper something into her ear. We've also never held hands like you have and she certainly never stroke my hair out of my face as I've seen her done for you at Downton. I think she loves you"

Matthew looked at him and slight smile spread over his face. "You think she does?"

"Oh yeah, It's completely different."

**xxxx**

When Sybil returned from Mary's flat an hour later, she found Tom sitting on the floor and Matthew lying on the couch fast asleep.

"Shybilll," Tom greeted her happily. "I've been waiting for you. Mathoos totally pissed and I am, too."

Sybil laughed. "I can see that. You think you can make it to the bedroom?"

"Sure!" he exclaimed and tried to get up, but failed. "No."

Sybil shook her head. "Okay, come we'll do it together." She helped him up and steadied him when he stood next to her swaying slightly from one side to the other.

"I wanna shleep with you, Shybil," he said wistfully. "You're ssoo beautifill … beauti," he giggled, "sssexy."

"Not tonight, lover boy," she laughed. "You're far too drunk."

Tom pouted. "I had to drink with Matthoo."

"I know and I don't blame you for it, but now you're going to go to sleep." Sybil helped him to his room, where he popped onto the bed, pulling her with him.

"Sstay with me," he mumbled. "My ssweet, sweet Shybil darling. I'm ssso horny." The next moment his even breathing told her that he was fast asleep and Sybil chuckled.

_Yeah right, v__ery horny indeed_.

She knew she should go to her own room now, but found she couldn't bring herself to get up. She loved how Tom cuddled her to his chest like a teddy bear in his sleep and she decided to indulge herself and stay where she was.


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you to everyone who reviews this story. I'm always so happy to get your feedback!_

_This is the second final chapter and of course it is the chapter when it finally happens! Before you read though, I have a confession to make: I really wanted to make the story M rated, but then when I wrote it, I had to find out: I'm totally unable to write smut! So I've decided to stay within what I consider T rating and only "tease" a bit. _

_But I hope you'll like it anyway!_

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Tom had dreamt his favourite dream again. He had for months now, unfortunately, he awoke every morning to reality. In his dream, he was making love to Sybil, she was in his arms, he breathed in her scent, felt her hair on his face, could feel her silken skin against his own, hear her voice urging him on and then before he could finish, the dream ended and he woke up sexually frustrated in a lonely bed.

But this time the dream was even more vivid and it felt even more real. He knew he didn't want to wake up. His arms were around Sybil's lovely form, his face was buried at the crook of her neck. He felt her skin under his lips and he heard her sigh.

She moved around in his arms and was facing him now. He could feel her fingertips stroking his neck and her lips were so soft on his own. He opened his mouth eagerly, welcoming her tongue, tasting her and feeling her. It was heaven.

Suddenly he woke up and his eyes widened in surprise, when he realised part of his dream was true. Sybil was indeed there in his bed, in his arms, sleeping soundly.

A smile started to spread over his face despite his slight headache from too much Whiskey and too little water, and his heart began to beat a little bit faster.

He became aware that he was still wearing his clothes from the evening. Obviously he hadn't been able to remove more than his shoes when they stumbled to bed earlier. She wasn't in her dress though, she was wearing one of his t-shirts as a nightshirt and her knickers. His hands felt bare skin when they touched her legs. So she had gotten up after he fell asleep, dressed for the night and came back into the bed with him. He smiled. He was so happy she didn't go to her own room instead.

Resisting the urge to touch her more he rolled onto his back with a sigh. It was near dawn and probably very early still. They didn't go to bed before two or three o'clock that morning, so they really need a few more hours, but he had to get out of these uncomfortable clothes. He carefully untangled himself from her, stood up quickly and changed into a pair of sleeping boxers and another t-shirt. Then he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get rid of that slight hangover taste in his mouth. He was back within minutes carefully sliding under the duvet again and pulling Sybil close once more. She snuggled closer to him with a content little sigh and he smiled against her neck where he buried his face. She smelled so good.

_I want to get used to this,_ was the last thought he had before he drifted back to sleep.

**xxxx**

The sunlight was streaming through the window when Sybil reluctantly opened her eyes a few hours later. She didn't move and just enjoyed where she was. She was still enveloped in Tom's arms, just as she remembered when she fell asleep that night. She could feel his chest against her back, and his lips against the back of her neck, his breath fanning her skin lightly in his sleep.

Sybil sighed happily and carefully started to turn around in his arms. The desire to look at him growing stronger than the need to stay where she was. There he was, looking very young and boyish in his sleep, his lovely blue eyes closed and his hair slightly dishevelled. She studied his face, the fine lines around his eyes showed he was older than he appeared at first glance. Her hand reached out involuntarily to trace the stubble and the light freckles on his face and this made him stir and open his eyes.

For a moment they just looked into one another's eyes and they both smiled.

"Good morning," she murmured softly.

"It is indeed a very good morning to wake up and find you here," he said with a grin.

"So you don't mind the intrusion?" Sybil asked with a smirk. "Funny, I thought you would."

"You know very well I wouldn't," he grinned. He pulled her close to him and kissed her slowly.

"Don't you have a headache?" she asked when they broke the kiss a good while later. "You were pretty much out of it."

He shook his head. "Good Irish whiskey," he said. "I'm okay."

He pulled her on top of him and kissed her again still softly, but more deeply than before, one of his hands finding it's way into her hair, the other stroking her back under the hem of her shirt. Sybil felt a sudden thrill through her body when she shifted her body and felt his hardness against her groin. After more kissing she murmured, "Feels more than okay to me." She pressed her body into his and he chuckled into her mouth.

"What about our morning run?" she asked with a raised eyebrow..

"We're not going anywhere." He grinned at her.

"Are we not?" Sybil teased.

Tom was so happy, even his blue eyes smiled. "No, not when I finally have you all alone here with me. Besides," he added with a raised eyebrow, "we can work out here just as well."

She laughed and he pulled her face down to his and kissed her again, this time with urgency and passion. Sybil responded in kind, her hand instinctively wandering under his shirt to touch the skin on his chest.

"Different shirt?" she asked momentarily distracted when she opened her eyes and saw that he wasn't wearing last night's clothes any longer.

"Changed around dawn," he murmured against her lips, unwilling to stop the kissing. His hands were wandering, too, and his fingertips were caressing Sybil's breasts, so she closed her eyes again and had to bite down on her lip to stop the moan that threatened to escape.

After some moments of heavy kissing that left them both breathless, Tom rolled them around and pulled his hands away, but only long enough to help Sybil pulling her shirt over her head. He took a moment to smile down on her, relishing in that special moment when he saw her naked for the first time. She was perfect, as she lay before him, her eyes shining, her lips parted, begging to be kissed and her body as gorgeous as he had imagined it.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, before she pulled him back to her impatiently, his hands returning to her breasts and this time he let his lips follow the same path, kissing the curve of her right breast and then taking the nipple in his mouth, tugging softly while his left hand played with the other one. Sybil gasped and he smiled again her skin, his free hand wandering down, stroking her stomach and then lower still, grazing the skin under the waistband of her knickers.

Sybil tugged at his shirt. "Take that off," she murmured and he obliged willingly, pulling the shirt over his head in one quick motion. She marvelled at the broadness of his shoulders, the smooth skin over taut muscles and they both sighed when he took her in his arms again and skin touched skin for the first time.

"Do we ... um, do you have some—?" Sybil suddenly remembered, thinking of the red box she had gotten from Edith at Downton the week before, which was still in her room at the Abbey.

"Plenty," he said with emphasis, reaching over her to his night-stand, opening the top drawer. Sybil's eyes went wide as she stared at boxes upon boxes of condoms.

"You could say I might have gotten a bit carried away," Tom admitted sheepishly. "I bought them all this week."

She threw her had back and laughed. "Oh my god, we could open a shop!"

"No way," he chuckled and started kissing her again. "We're going to use them all."

**xxxx**

"What did Mary say?" Tom asked, several wonderful shags later that left them both satisfied and very happy. He was lying on his side, his arm lying loosely over Sybil's waist, who was facing him.

"She was surprisingly calm," Sybil answered. "I think the embarrassment of getting caught in the act so to speak was nothing compared to her feeling terrified because she's falling in love with Matthew. I think her first instinct was to run, but when I left she was talking about going away with Matthew for a weekend."

"So you think she'll have him back?"

"Yes, I'm sure she will. But if you ask me, it won't be always easy between them. With Mary, it never is."

Tom nodded. "At least Matt is the nicest man on the planet," he grinned. "No sane person would quarrel with him."

Sybil laughed. "Then he is perfect for Mary. She is the most difficult person I know. But I think she really is in love this time."

Tom sat up and fished for his sleeping shorts on the floor. "I don't know about you, but our little work-out session really made me hungry. I think I'll go and get us breakfast," he said. "You stay here and rest. You'll need your strength for later."

"I do?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He leaned over to kiss her softly. "Yes, you do," he said against her lips. "You don't think we're going to leave this room any time soon, do you?"

Sybil leaned back in the pillow and smiled. "No," she said with a happy sigh. "I don't think we are."


	21. Chapter 21

_This is it, the final chapter. I'm aware of the fact that there are a few loose ends, Tom's dissatisfaction with his job for example or Sybil's further plans for her career, but when I came to this point in the story, I thought it would be a nice ending. Maybe I'm going to write a few one shots in the same AU universe in the future, but I don't know yet._

_The resemblance of the beginning of this chapter to the very beginning of the story is intentional, btw. _

_I thank the yankeecountess for the idea towards the end of the story. She doesn't even know she inspired me here, but she will know once she reads it! She made a remark about a picture on tumblr and I thought this was the perfect idea for the ending of this story._

_Thank you to all readers, followers and reviewers. It was a pleasure to read so many reviews and it motivated me so much! Thank you!_

_And last but not least I want to thank Scarlet again, who edited this story for me and who does an amazing job. I know beta reading for me requires much more work than it does for a native speaker and I'm entirely dependent on her. Thank you so much, Scarlet!_

_And now without further ado... enjoy!_

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**18 months later**

She threw her head back, pressing it in the soft pillow beneath her. Her breath started coming in gasps and not as quietly as she would have wanted, but she was beyond caring.

"Yes!" she gasped. "Yes, yes, oh Tom! Yes right there!"

She felt the tingling sensation, the pressure, the need to get there and she knew she was getting close. When he sent her flying over the edge, she saw stars. She arched her back, pressing herself closer to him, if that was possible, holding onto him with her arms as tight as she could.

He came right after her, groaning her name loudly, his face against her neck, his whole body shuddering in a powerful release.

For a while they just lay there, not moving, both out of breath and almost clinging to each other, unwilling to lose a millimetre of that contact between them. He then popped on his elbows to take some of his weight from her and started kissing her face with tender, soft, languid kisses.

She opened her eyes and looked up to him, smiling dreamingly. "Mhm?" she murmured. He smiled, too, and rolled them over so they were lying at their sides, facing one another and she was still enveloped in his arms.

"Well, Mrs Branson, that was amazing," he murmured to her and she sighed happily.

"It definitely was. Our first time as husband and wife."

He chuckled, raised her left hand to his lips and kissed the new ring on her finger. Then he looked around. "I must say Mary and Matthew really outdid themselves with building us a love-nest for tonight, didn't they?"

Taking in the numerous candles that lit the room and the red rose petals that were scattered over their bed, Sybil smiled. "They did, but they're probably just setting the stakes high to their own wedding in three months. So we know what we'll have to do then."

"You don't think they'll be spending their wedding night at home, do you? They'll be probably at the Ritz or something," Tom snorted. "But I'm absolutely ready to throw some rose petals around there, too, if you think they'd like it."

He looked down on her, his blue eyes intense. "I'm happy we're here though. It couldn't be more perfect." He leaned down and kissed her again and she responded immediately, moaning at the back of her throat, when he deepened the kiss, his hands coming to her face to bring her closer, his fingertips losing themselves in her hair. He rolled on his back, bringing her with him and she wrapped herself around him as well as she could.

"Oh, that reminds me," she suddenly said and raised her head. "I have a wedding present for you."

He opened his eyes. "A wedding present?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Go and look into the shoe closet."

"In the shoe closet?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do I detect a well-hidden secret of yours on our wedding night? I know perfectly well about women's obsession with shoes, but I hope you didn't buy me shoes as a wedding present."

She laughed. "Go and look," she demanded and rolled down from him on her side.

He sighed dramatically and sat up. "Okay, I'll go, I'll go."

Sybil watched when he went through the room to the cabinet at the far end of it, momentarily distracted the lovely view of his backside, until he opened the top drawer and froze.

"Oh my … Sybil?"

He turned around and looked at her. She stood up, too and went to him.

There in the top drawer were their running shoes. On the left his bigger pair, on the right her smaller ones and in the middle of it stood the smallest pair of running shoes he'd ever seen.

"What … does that mean … what I think it means?" he asked her.

Sybil felt tears in her eyes. _These damned hormones! _

"Yes," she said, her voice cracking a bit. "I guess the baby will be a bit early about 8 months after the wedding."

A smile spread over his face and she squealed when he took her in his arms and twirled her around.

"This is … wow," he said after putting her back on her feet again. He was for once lost for words to describe the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him a bit. "When did you … I mean … how long do you know?"

"Only for four days," she said. "And I nearly burst for wanting to tell you, but then I thought it would be perfect for today."

He shook his head in wonder, staring down on the tiny shoes in his hands. Then he scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. Lying down next to her, he put his hand on her flat stomach.

"A baby," he said with wonder. "Who would have thought that it would happen that quickly? I mean, you just went off the pill five or six weeks ago."

Sybil chuckled. "Seems we're terribly fertile. I never expected it to happen so quickly. The doctor said it could take a few months."

He grinned broadly and she swatted him on the chest. "Don't be so full of yourself, Mr. Branson."

"I didn't say anything," he laughed. "But the proof is right here, isn't it?" He stroked her belly.

He put is lips next to her bellybutton and whispered. "Your dad is a champion, Baby Branson."

Sybil giggled. "Come here, Champ." He started kissing her belly instead with very tender and very sweet kisses.

Then he looked up at her watching him and she saw his eyes were shining.

"I love you, Tom," she said, her own eyes getting a bit watery and reaching out for him. He came up to her willingly, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her with all the emotion that was welling up in him.

"Oh my darling," he whispered. "I do love you so much."

THE END


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